The Legend of Zelda: Into the Shadows
by HyruleKing
Summary: Seto Kaiba announces his newest tournament in Hyrule, The Hyrule Cup. Yugi, CJ and the gang enter the tournament, hoping for fun. But will this tournament be more than it seems? Will the fate of the world again rest on their shoulders?
1. The Tournament Begins

**The Legend of Zelda: Into the Shadows**

_It's been a month since the defeat of Raem, and the dispelling of the miasma around Hyrule. Sarah and Mike have stepped into their places as Sages in Hyrule, and CJ and Stacey are ruling on the throne of Hyrule as King and Queen. CJ has begun training Sarah, Stacey and Mike in Duel Monsters, knowing the time will come when they will need to use the powers of the Shadow Realm to save the world. Little do they know, that time is going to come soon…_

**CHAPTER ONE: The Tournament Begins**

CJ stood in Hyrule Castle courtyard, along with Stacey and Shaylene. They looked to the castle gates and Yugi walked in, along with Tea, Joey, Tristan and Serenity.

"Ready for this, CJ?" Yugi asked, as he activated his Duel Disk.

"Of course, Yugi." CJ said. "And so are they." He pointed to Hyrule Castle's mezzanine, just above the courtyard. Gathered on it were several residents of Hyrule, along with several camera crews.

"What's with all the people?" Joey asked.

"I figured a duel for the Egyptian gods and the title 'King of Games' deserved an audience." CJ said.

"Sounds great." Yugi said. CJ then activated his Duel Disk.

"I'll start." CJ said. "I'll begin with Graceful Charity!" CJ said. "I draw three cards, as long as I discard two. Next, I set a monster in defense mode, lay a card face down and activate the field spell, Necrovalley!" Everyone watched as the castle courtyard transformed into an ancient canyon. "Your move."

_That Necrovalley can be trouble. But since my graveyard is empty right now, it's not very crippling. And with three cards in his graveyard, that field spell is hurting CJ more than anything. _Yugi thought. "I summon a monster in defense mode. Go."

"I sacrifice my facedown Gravekeeper's Spy to summon Gravekeeper's Chief (ATK: 1900)!" CJ said, summoning a black haired, tan-skinned man in Egyptian-style clothing. "And, my Necrovalley gives my Chief a 500 point boost (ATK: 2400). Next, thanks to my Spy's ability, I can summon Gravekeeper's Assailant from my deck (ATK: 2000)." Then, a man in a black cloak carrying a small dagger appeared on the field. "Finally, thanks to the effect of Gravekeeper's Chief, I can summon Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier from my graveyard (ATK: 2000)." Then, a tan-skinned man in a black robe and carrying a spear appeared on the field.

"Wait… Doesn't Necrovalley stop you from doing anything with the graveyard?" Joey asked.

"Not quite." CJ said. "Thanks to Gravekeeper's Chief, my cards are unaffected by Necrovalley."

"I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Necrovalley!" Yugi said.

"Chief, attack that defense!" CJ commanded. He gasped as his monster bounced off of a giant stone monster (DEF: 2000), causing his life points to take a hit (LP: 4000 – 100). "Fine, I use Tribute to the Doomed and discard Gravekeeper's Descendant from my hand to destroy your Giant Soldier of Stone! Now, Assailant and Spear Soldier, attack Yugi directly!" Yugi stumbled back as CJ's monsters attacked (LP: 4000 – 3000). "Your move."

"I discard a card to summon The Tricky (ATK: 2000)!" Yugi said, summoning a monster in a black-and-yellow bodysuit. On the monster's chest was a red "?". "Tricky, attack Gravekeeper's Chief!"

"Activate Draining Shield!" CJ said. "First, your attack is stopped! Next, I gain life points equal to your monster's attack points (LP: 5900)."

"I end my turn." Yugi said.

"I summon a monster in defense mode." CJ said. "Go."

"Tricky, try this again… Attack Gravekeeper's Chief!" Yugi said. CJ watched as his monster exploded (LP: 5900 – 100). "I lay one card face down. Go."

"I sacrifice my facedown Gravekeeper's Guard to summon Gravekeeper's Visionary, who gains 200 attack points for each Gravekeeper's monster in my graveyard (ATK: 3000)." CJ said, summoning a monster in a wolf-like mask and white robe. "And thanks to my Guard's ability, the Tricky returns to your hand. Now, all my monsters will attack you directly, ending this duel!"

"Activate Mirror Force!" Yugi exclaimed.

"By discarding my Gravekeeper's Spy, I can spare my Visionary." CJ said. "And since 3 more Gravekeeper's monsters went to the graveyard, my Visionary gets stronger (ATK: 3600). Your move."

"I discard a card to once again summon The Tricky (ATK: 2000)." Yugi said. "Next, I play Swords of Revealing Light! Go."

"I pass." CJ said.

"I summon Green Gadget (ATK: 1400)." Yugi said, summoning a green machine monster. "Which lets me add Red Gadget to my hand. Your move."

"I equip my Visionary with Black Pendant (ATK: 4100)." CJ said. "Go."

"I summon Red Gadget (ATK: 1300)." Yugi said, summoning a red machine monster. "But Yellow Gadget is already in my hand, so my Red Gadget's ability doesn't activate. Go."

"I pass." CJ said. "Which means your swords are gone."

"I sacrifice Red Gadget, Green Gadget and The Tricky so I can summon an Egyptian god card…" Yugi said.

"Whoa… An Egyptian god?" Joey said.

_I can see Yugi really wants to keep his title…_ CJ thought.

"Almighty protector of the sun and sky,

I beg of thee, please heed my cry,

Transform thyself from orb of light,

And bring my victory in this fight,  
I beseech thee, grace our humble game,

But first I shall call out thy name…

Winged Dragon of Ra (ATK: 4700)!" Yugi exclaimed, summoning the golden Egyptian god card that resembled a mechanical bird. "Ra, destroy Gravekeeper's Visionary!" CJ watched as his monster exploded (LP: 5800 – 600).

"Since you destroyed Black Pendant, you lose 500 life points, Yugi (LP: 1000 – 500)." CJ said.

"I end my turn." Yugi said. "Try to get around my Egyptian god card."

"I activate Evil's Summoning Ritual!" CJ said. "I sacrifice CJ, Sage of Shadow from my hand to summon Ganondorf, the King of Evil (ATK: 4500)!" Then, a crimson-haired, crimson-eyed man in black armor appeared on CJ's field, staring down Ra.

"Too bad it's not strong enough to beat Ra…" Joey said from the sidelines.

"And, since I sacrificed a Dark monster to summon Ganondorf, he gains a spell counter (SC: 1) and 1000 attack points (ATK: 5500)." CJ said. "Now! The ultimate Triforce Destiny monster and the ultimate Egyptian god shall clash, Yugi! Ganondorf, attack the Winged Dragon of Ra and finish the duel!" Yugi watched as his god card exploded (LP: 0). Both duelists deactivated their Duel Disks and walked over to each other. Yugi reached into his deck and pulled out three cards.

"You won, fair and square." He said. "You are now the King of Games. And here… Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon and the Winged Dragon of Ra… The Egyptian god cards are yours."

"Thank you, Yugi." CJ said.

"Don't thank me." Yugi said. "You won them. I guess I should've expected no less from the guy who took over Pegasus's company."

CJ laughed. "True."

"All right, guys! Show's over, let's clear out!" The cameramen began shouting to each other, before they all cleared out, leaving only CJ and his friends in the castle courtyard.

_**Meanwhile…**_

A brown-haired, blue-eyed young man sat in a tall office building in Castle Town. On a computer screen in front of him were various duelists, along with star ratings and the duelists' rarest cards. He pressed a button on the computer, and it showed CJ and Stacey along with the three Triforce Destiny Cards.

"I need to find a way to get those cards from those two…" The young man said. A young boy about the age of 15 with shoulder length spiked black hair in a yellow t-shirt and jeans walked in.

"Seto, what about another tournament?" The boy asked.

"Sounds like a good idea, Mokuba." The young man, Seto Kaiba, said to his younger brother, Mokuba. "A Battle City-Duelist Kingdom mix… I'll call it the Hyrule Cup. The freedom of running around Hyrule to duel with Duel Disks, but the added fun of field power bonuses…"

_**The next day…**_

CJ, Shaylene and Stacey walked outside of Hyrule Castle, where CJ found an envelope taped to the castle gates.

"What's that?" Stacey asked. CJ opened the envelope and found a letter inside, along with three clear cards with small pictures of a map on them.

"These look like Locator Cards." CJ said. He then began to read the letter:

"_CJ, Stacey and Shaylene,_

_ You three are hereby invited to participate in my newest tournament, the Hyrule Cup. It will begin this Friday at noon in Castle Town. Included in the letter is one Locator Card for each of you, as well as a rule book. Study the rules carefully and make sure to contact my company as to whether or not you'll be competing by Thursday afternoon._

_ Seto Kaiba"_

"Kaiba's hosting another tournament?" Shaylene asked.

"It sounds like it." CJ said. "Looks like you might get a chance to duel him."

"Awesome!" Shaylene said with excitement present in her voice.

"And you'll get some good dueling practice, honey." CJ said to Stacey.

"Yes! I can't wait!" Stacey said.

_**Meanwhile, in Kakariko Village…**_

Yugi Moto walked out of a small shop labeled "Moto Game". He looked down and found an envelope at his door step.

"_Yugi,_

_ I expect to see you at my tournament. Contact my company by Thursday to let them know if you're participating or not. The Hyrule Cup tournament starts this Friday. And bring your god cards. Your friends are welcome to participate as well._

_ Seto Kaiba."_

Yugi chuckled.

_Apparently, Kaiba didn't see the TV broadcast._ He thought, scanning the line "bring your god cards".

Tea, Joey, Tristan and Serenity walked out of the game shop.

"What's that, Yugi?" Tea asked.

"An invite to a new tournament that Kaiba's hosting." Yugi said. "And we're all invited to participate."

"Really? All of us?" Joey asked.

"Yeah. All of us." Yugi said. "Even Tea, Tristan and Serenity, I guess."

"Awesome!" Tristan said.

_**The following morning…**_

CJ walked out into the kitchen of a small house in Kakariko Village and answered his phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, CJ... It's Yugi."

"Hey, Yug." CJ said.

"Did you get invited to Kaiba's new tourney?" Yugi asked.

"I did." CJ said. "So did Stacey and Shaylene." Stacey walked out into the kitchen, half-asleep, in a blue t-shirt and baggy pajama pants. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"What did I do?" She asked sleepily.

"Nothing, honey." CJ chuckled.

"Hey, do you and Stacey want to go out for breakfast?" Yugi asked.

"Honey… Do you feel like grabbin' breakfast with Yugi?" CJ asked.

"Only if we make it a group date." Stacey said.

"Stacey has a couple conditions." CJ said.

"Okay, what?" Yugi asked.

"You have to bring your wife… Joey and Mai have to come, so do Tristan and Serenity and Mike and Sarah." CJ said.

"Okay, I'll get them together." Yugi said. "We'll meet you at The Early Goron Café in a half hour."

"Cool." CJ said.

_**The following Friday…**_

CJ, Stacey, Shaylene, Yugi and the rest of the gang were gathered in Castle Town with Mike and Sarah. Other duelists scattered around the city were anxiously awaiting the appearance of Seto Kaiba. A blond haired, purple eyed woman about the age of 24 in a white tube top, purple jacket, skirt and boots walked over.

"Hey, Director Francis." The woman, champion duelist Mai Valentine, said.

"Good afternoon, Agent Valentine." CJ said.

"Hi, babe." Mai said, kissing Joey. She looked around at the other duelists. "Wow, this place is starting to look like Battle City all over again."

"Yeah, I know." Yugi said, looking at a blue haired boy about Yugi's age dressed in shorts, a green shirt with a beetle on it, and gold glasses. "There's Weevil Underwood."

Joey then looked over at a brown haired boy about the same age, in a green shirt, tan vest, jeans and red hat. "And that's Rex Raptor."

Mai then looked over at a tanned, young man, about the age of 23, with spiked black hair, a blue tank top, blue shorts and a blue headband with white markings that resembled waves. "And there's Mako Tsunami." Kaiba flew overhead in his blimp. A TV screen on it lit up to show Kaiba's face.

"Greeting duelists, welcome to the Hyrule Cup." Kaiba said.

"That sounds like Kaiba." Rex said.

"Where is he?" Mako asked.

"Kaiba?" Weevil wondered.

"Where is his voice coming from?" Mai asked.

"There he is!" CJ said, pointing up at Kaiba's blimp.

"It's time to put your dueling skills to the test. I hope none of you entered my tournament looking for friendly competition. The Hyrule Cup's gonna be an all out war. Before my Hyrule Cup tournament begins, I thought I'd let you all know what you're in for, in case you wanna back out now. First, let's talk about the most important rule. The loser of the duel is forced to hand over their rarest card to the winner. If you don't want to risk your precious cards, then I suggest you forfeit now." Kaiba said.

"Bring it on, Kaiba!" Rex shouted.

"So, the more duels I win, the more rare cards I acquire for my deck..." Weevil said.

"By the seven seas, I accept your challenge!" Mako exclaimed.

"Taking cards away from these losers sounds like fun." Mai smirked.

"And, anyone who's foolish enough can challenge me to a duel, because I'll also be competing in this tournament." Kaiba added.

"I thought so." Yugi said.

"But don't get your hopes up, because I intend to win, and there are three duelists out there I can't wait to defeat." Kaiba added.

"You're on, Kaiba!" Yugi and CJ exclaimed. CJ then looked at Stacey.

_He must still be after the Triforce Destiny Cards…_ CJ thought.

"Speaking of winning, only the eight best duelists will make it to the final round. And these finals will be held in a hidden location."

"Then how do we get there?" Rex wondered.

"No one will show up if the location's hidden!" Mako said.

"In order to find the finals, you'll need these locator cards. You've each received one, but don't get too excited, because one's not enough. You'll need eight to make it to the finals. When eight are stacked together, they make a map of Hyrule revealing the location to you. But the tournament finals are a long time away, and most of you will be eliminated long before that. Okay, everything I just said and more can be found in my tournament rule book. Remember, only one duelist can win and claim the title of number one duelist in the world."

"And that'll be me." Mai said.

"That'll be me!" Mako, Weevil and Rex exclaimed.

"There's no way I'm losing my Hero of Time." Stacey said.

"If I have anything to do with it, you will." CJ smiled.

"One last thing… Special Duel Transmitters have been set up all around Hyrule. In certain areas of Hyrule, much like in Duelist Kingdom, certain monsters will gain Field Power Boosts." Kaiba said. "You'll find teleporter booths in every area of Hyrule that will allow you to move from area to area much faster than walking."

"I better head up to Zora's Domain to boost my water monsters." Stacey said.

"Kakariko Graveyard would probably power up my Dark monsters…" CJ said.

"Looks like I'm sticking to the fields." Joey and Mai said in unison.

"Where would our cards be best suited, CJ?" Mike asked.

"Mike, you'd be best in the Forest, since your deck is plant types." CJ said. "Sarah, with your Gerudo monsters, I stick to the desert. As for your cards, Shay, I'd stay in Castle Town. Your deck is mostly light monsters, so the city might be the best idea."

"Okay." Shaylene said.

"Now, get ready duelists... Let the tournament begin!" Kaiba said. Everyone cheered.

"Good luck, Mai." CJ said.

"Thanks." Mai said. "And we may both be Sages, but if we meet up in the tournament, you're going down."

"Right back at ya, Mai." CJ said.

_**Meanwhile, across town…**_

Three bikers were gathered together, listening to Kaiba's rules.

"Sounds like a fun tourney." The first said in an Australian accent. He had blue eyes, spiked brown hair, and he wore a red jumpsuit. "Eh, Alister?"

"You know it, Valon!" The second, Alister, said. He had chin-length red hair and wore a light blue muscle shirt and black jeans.

"And things should be fairer, now that we're not controlled by the Orichalcos." The third said. He had spiked blond hair and wore a leather jack, black jeans and gray muscle shirt. Behind him was a semi-transparent white-winged, blond haired man in Native American style clothing.

"Are you still using those guardian cards, Rafael?" Valon asked the blond man.

"Of course." Rafael said. "Guardian Eatos and I are gonna own this tournament… Especially if we come face to face with Yugi."

_**Back in Castle Town Square…**_

"Yugi… Before we begin, I want you to take these." CJ said, holding out some cards.

"Wow… CJ… Thank you so much." Yugi said.

"Weevil cheated you on that boat, Yugi." CJ said. "I think you deserve to have these back. Now, what do you guys say we go kick some butt… in honor of Solomon!"

"Yeah! For Grandpa!" Yugi said. _I miss you, Grandpa… I wish you could be here to watch us duel…_


	2. A Duel With A Ghoul

**CHAPTER TWO: Duel With A Ghoul**

CJ stepped through a teleporter and found himself in Kakariko Village. He walked through a nearby wooden arch and into a graveyard.

_Kakariko Graveyard…_ He then walked over to a fenced off area. On the gate was the Triforce, the symbol of Hylian Royalty. CJ pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the gate. He walked over to a group of graves and looked at them:

David Johnson  
August 19, 1960 – January 29, 2009  
Beloved Son, Father & Husband

Brenda Johnson  
May 13, 1962 – January 29, 2009  
Beloved Daughter, Mother & Wife

Jennette Johnson  
May 5, 1993 – January 29, 2009  
Beloved Daughter & Sister

Steven Johnson  
November 2, 1987 – September 7, 2009  
Beloved Son & Brother

Kylie Francis  
May 29, 1993 – January 13, 2010  
Beloved Wife, Queen & Daughter

Ryan Floyd  
July 9, 1988 – January 17, 2010  
Beloved Son

Saria Francis  
July 9, 1988 – February 19, 2009  
Beloved Wife, Queen, Daughter & Mother

Patrick Floyd  
March 7, 1972 – January 3, 2010  
Beloved Husband, Son & Father

Rebecca Floyd  
April 24, 1972 – January 3, 2010  
Beloved Mother, Daughter & Wife

_Dave… Brenda… Steven… I promise I'll take care of Shaylene. _CJ thought. _Jennette… I'm sorry I never came back to visit you guys…_

He then looked at the graves of Kylie and Saria.

_Ky… Saria… I love you… And I always will…_ He then looked at the graves of Patrick, Becky and Ryan. _But, Saria… At least you're with your family…_ Tears formed in his eyes. He looked at three more graves and fell to his knees, weeping. The grave read as follows:

Ralph Francis  
April 17, 1949 – March 10, 1992  
Beloved Father & Brother  
Sage of Shadow, Killed in battle while defending Hyrule from the King of Evil.

Velma Francis  
August 12, 1929 – February 6, 2004  
Beloved grandmother & mother

Aryll Francis  
May 9, 1995 – July 18, 2009  
Beloved sister & granddaughter, lost at sea

_Dad… I wish I could've known you better… I wish you hadn't left me when I was so young… I'm trying my best to lead this country in your honor… I've done my best to make our ancestors proud… I just… Sometimes I just need help…_ CJ thought, crying. He quickly wiped his eyes when he heard a voice behind him.

"CJ Francis… King of Hyrule, owner of Industrial Illusions and now King of Games… I never expected to find you in a graveyard…" CJ turned around and saw a boy with spiked blue hair in a green shirt and tan shorts.

"Bonz, the Zombie Duelist…" CJ smiled. "I assume you want to duel?"

"Of course." Bonz said. "Do you accept?"

"I do." CJ said. "And, I'll start by activating Swords of Revealing Light. Now, you can't attack me for three turns. Your move."

"I lay a card face down and summon a monster in defense mode." Bonz said. "Go."

"I pass." CJ said.

"I activate The First Sarcophagus!" Bonz said, as a golden sarcophagus appeared on the field. "Your move."

"I activate Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards, as long as I discard two." CJ said. Then, a mage in a light blue and gold robe appeared on the field. "Next, I summon Skilled Dark Magician (ATK: 2470) and end my turn."

"Which allows me to activate The Second Sarcophagus!" Bonz said.

"And now my Skilled Dark Magician gains a spell counter (SC: 1)." CJ said.

"And I pass my turn." Bonz said.

"My swords now expire." CJ said. "But, I play the field spell, Magical Citadel of Endymion, giving my mage another spell counter (SC: 2). And, with that, I'll attack your defense!"

"You attacked Spirit Reaper (DEF: 260)!" Bonz said, revealing a grim reaper in a purple robe. "And, he can't be destroyed in battle."

"I end my turn." CJ said.

"And I activate The Third Sarcophagus!" Bonz said.

"Giving my mage another spell counter (SC: 3)." CJ said, smirking.

"I send my three Sarcophagus cards to the graveyard to special summon Spirit of the Pharaoh (ATK: 3250)!" Bonz said, summoning a blue-skinned human-like monster in a Pharaoh's outfit. "Spirit, attack!"

"Reveal trap: Negate Attack!" CJ exclaimed. "This stops your attack and ends your battle phase."

"I end my turn." Bonz said.

"I sacrifice Skilled Dark Magician to summon Dark Magician Girl (ATK: 2600)!" CJ said, summoning a blond haired, female mage in a blue top and pink skirt. "Next, I play Sage's Stone to special summon Dark Magician (ATK: 3250)!" Then, a blue haired, male mage in a purple robe appeared on the field. "Finally, I equip Dark Magician with Mage Power, boosting its attack (ATK: 4250). Dark Magician, take out Spirit of the Pharaoh!" Bonz gasped as his monster exploded (LP: 4000 – 1000). "Your move."

"I summon a defense monster and lay three cards face down." Bonz said. "Go."

"I lay a card face down." CJ said. "Dark Magician, take out that defense! Your move, Bonz."

"I summon another defense." Bonz said. "Go."

"Dark Magician, destroy that defense! Dark Magic Attack!" CJ exclaimed, as Bonz's defense was wiped out. "Your move."

"I pass…" Bonz said.

"As do I." CJ smirked.

"I pass again…" Bonz frowned.

"I lay a card face down." CJ said. "Go."

"I lay a card face down as well." Bonz said. "Go."

"I pass." CJ said.

"I summon a monster in defense mode." Bonz said. "Go."

"I summon Skilled Dark Magician (ATK: 2470)." CJ said. "Dark Magician, attack that defense!" Bonz watched as his monster exploded. "Your turn."

"I summon another defense." Bonz said. "Go."

"I sacrifice my three monsters…" CJ said.

"To summon what?" Bonz asked.

"Almighty protector of the sun and sky, I beg of thee please heed my cry… Transform thyself from orb of light, and bring me victory in this fight… I beseech thee, grace our humble game… But first I shall call out thy name! WINGED DRAGON OF RA!" CJ exclaimed. Bonz gasped as a golden, mechanical-like dragon appeared on the field.

"H-how d-did you get that?" Bonz exclaimed.

"When I won Yugi's title, I also won his god cards." CJ said. "And, thanks to the three monsters I sacrificed, he's all but unstoppable (ATK: 9320)."

"No way!" Bonz exclaimed.

"Winged Dragon of Ra, destroy that defense!" CJ exclaimed. Bonz watched as his first defense exploded. "Go."

"I… I pass…" Bonz said.

"I pay 1000 life points, activating Ra's ability to destroy your Spirit Reaper!" CJ exclaimed. "Winged Dragon of Ra! Attack Bonz directly! Blaze Cannon!" Bonz watched in horror and shock as the Winged Dragon of Ra launched a blast of fire at him, depleting his life points.

"I-impossible… Y-you… B-but how…?" Bonz stuttered, shocked at the duel's outcome.

"Just hand over your Locator Card." CJ smiled. Bonz held out his Locator Card and sighed.

"Here… It's yours." Bonz said. "And here's my Spirit of the Pharaoh."

"Keep it." CJ said. "I have no need for it."

"Really?" Bonz asked.

"Yeah." CJ said. "It's all yours." He then turned and walked away.

_**At KaibaCorp…**_

"WHAT? How did CJ get the Winged Dragon of Ra!" Kaiba stood, watching a computer screen that showed the status of several of the duels in the Hyrule Cup.

"Seto… According to the newspapers, CJ and Yugi had a title match the other day." Mokuba said. "CJ won both Yugi's title and the Egyptian god cards."

"Yugi lost?" Kaiba exclaimed.

"Yeah… It looks like it." Mokuba said.

"All the more reason to take CJ down in this tournament…" Kaiba smirked.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Serenity and Tristan stood face-to-face with a pair of tag dueling twins on Hyrule's tallest mountain, Snowpeak. Tristan had a black armored knight riding atop a dark dragon on his field, and Serenity had a monster in icy blue armor and a navy blue cape. The twins' field, however, was empty.

"It's over, dudes!" Tristan exclaimed. "Dark Blade the Dragon Knight (ATK: 2200)!

"Mobius the Frost Monarch (ATK: 3120)!" Serenity exclaimed.

"End this duel with a direct attack!" The two exclaimed, as their monsters attacked, ending the duel.

"No way!" The twins said (LP: 0).

_**Meanwhile, in Gerudo Desert…**_

Two robed figures stood in a duel with Alister & Valon.

"This is it!" One of the robed figures exclaimed. "This duel shall end in favor of the Master Mothers!"

"What?" Alister asked.

"I sacrifice my two monsters…" The robed figure said.

"And I sacrifice my two…" The other robed figure said.

"To summon our ultimate creatures!" Red and purple beams of light hit the ground. When the lights died down, two monsters stood in the desert. One was an orange-haired, blue-skinned woman in a purple bodysuit. The other was a man in bronze armor, carrying a ball and chain.

"Veran, Sorceress of Shadows (ATK: 2650)!" One robed figure shouted.

"And Onox, General of Darkness (ATK: 2800)!" The other figure exclaimed. "And since your fields are empty… Onox!"

"Veran!"

"Attack!" The two beasts rushed toward Alister and Valon, depleting their life points (LP: 0). The two former Paradius duelists gasped as darkness surrounded their bodies.

"What is this?" Alister asked.

"Is this… the Orichalcos?" Valon wondered.

"No…" One of the robed figures said. "We are offering you up to the Dark Realm to feed the life force of our son!" Alister and Valon then vanished as the shadows engulfed them.

"Only a few more, Kotake…" One robed figure said.

"No… We need to find the King and Queen, Koume…" The other figure, Kotake, said. "They are the only way to revive Ganondorf…"


	3. Brawl at the Falls

**CHAPTER THREE: Brawl at the Falls**

Stacey walked through Zora's Domain, thumbing through her deck.

_I can't believe CJ actually gave me these cards…_ She thought to herself.

"Well… If it isn't Stacey Francis, the Queen of Hyrule and the Sage of Water…" Stacey turned and saw Mako Tsunami standing there, Duel Disk active.

"Word travels fast, I see." Stacey said.

"When you're informed by the waterways of the world, it does." Mako said. "Now, Stacey… I challenge you to a duel atop the Zora's Domain waterfall!" Mako then pointed up to the top of the nearby waterfall, where two stone platforms waited.

"Very well." Stacey said. "Let's duel!"

"Here's the deal. We'll each stand on those stone platforms atop the waterfall. When someone's life points hit zero, that duelist will be knocked off their platform by the waterfall, landing in the water below." Mako said.

"You're on!" Stacey said. "And, I'll start the duel! I summon High Tide Gyojin (ATK: 2145) and lay a card face down!" Then, a humanoid fish warrior appeared on the field. "Your move."

"I summon a defense monster and lay two cards face down." Mako said. "Go."

"I summon Aqua Madoor (DEF: 2600)." Stacey said, summoning a blue haired warrior in a white mask and green robe. "Gyojin, take out that defense!"

"You destroyed Mother Grizzly! Now, I can summon a monster from my deck with 1500 attack or less, so I summon Catapult Turtle (ATK: 1300)." Mako said, as a large turtle with a mechanical catapult on its back appeared on the field. "And since it's my turn, I'll switch my turtle to defense mode (DEF: 2600). Next, I summon Gemini Lancer (ATK: 2340)." Then, a fish-like monster carrying two lances appeared on the field. "Lancer, attack that Gyojin!"

"Activate trap: Sakuretsu Armor!" Stacey said. "Now, your Lancer is destroyed!"

"Darn!" Mako said. "Your move."

"I sacrifice my two monsters to summon the best card in my deck!" Stacey said, as she laid a card on her Duel Disk. Her two monsters vanished and their energies flew into the card, but no monster appeared on the field.

"Where is your monster?" Mako asked.

"You're looking at her." Stacey chuckled. "I summoned myself… Stacey, Sage to the Water Temple (ATK: 3510)!"

"You're a card?" Mako asked, shocked.

"I created special cards for each of the 10 Sages… The Sage Cards… Each Sage can summon himself or herself into a duel… And, each Sage Card has equipment cards to boost their strength as well." Mako and Stacey looked to the shore and saw CJ standing there.

"CJ!" Stacey smiled. "You came to watch me duel?"

"Of course, honey." CJ said. "I wanted to see how much you've learned… Especially against a champion like Mako Tsunami."

"Thanks." Stacey said. "Say goodnight to your Catapult Turtle as I attack it!" Mako gasped as his monster exploded. "Your move."

"I summon Tribe Infecting Virus (ATK: 2080)!" Mako said, summoning a group of diseased, fish-like monsters. "And, by discarding a card, I can choose one type of monster, and destroy all monsters on the field of that type… And I choose Spellcaster!"

"Oh no!" Stacey exclaimed. "And my Sage Card is a Spellcaster!" Stacey then removed her Sage Card from her Duel Disk and placed it in the graveyard.

"Virus! Attack her directly!" Stacey gasped as one of the fish creatures leaped up and bit her in the arm (LP: 4000 – 2080). "Your move."

"I lay a card face down…" Stacey frowned.

_Oh no… Stacey's gonna lose this turn…_ CJ thought. _And Mako didn't even summon his ultimate monster…_

"Tribe Infecting Virus, attack her directly and end this duel!" Mako exclaimed.

"Reveal trap: Call of the Haunted!" Stacey shouted. "And I'll use it to revive myself… Stacey, Sage to the Water Temple (ATK: 3510)! And, I'll counter-attack, destroying your Virus!"

"What?" Mako gasped as Stacey summoned herself, wiping out his monster (LP: 4000 – 1430). "I… I end my turn by summoning a defense monster."

"And I'll wipe out that defense." Stacey said, as she launched a blast of water magic at Mako's monster, obliterating it. "Your turn."

"Another defense." Mako said. "Go."

"I equip myself with Water Medallion (ATK: 4110)!" Stacey smiled as a blue medallion appeared around her neck. On it were six droplets of water, all arranged in a circle. "And, next, I'll wipe out that defense!"

"Darn it…" Mako said. "Again… I'll summon a defense. Go."

_I've got him on the ropes._ Stacey smiled.

_Don't get too overconfident, Stacey…_ CJ thought. _Mako's a talented duelist. He could easily recover from this._

"I add another equip spell… Sacred Blade of the Fallen Sage!" Stacey said, as a glowing golden sword appeared in front of her. She grabbed it and smiled. "This gives me another power boost, Mako (ATK: 5110). Say goodbye to that defense! And, I'll end my turn with a face down card."

_I need to recover from this and wipe out that Sage!_ Mako thought. "I play Turtle Oath and sacrifice a monster from my hand to summon Crab Turtle (ATK: 3315). Next, I use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Call of the Haunted!"

"What?" Stacey exclaimed, as her Sage card was destroyed again.

"Crab Turtle, attack her directly and end this duel!" Mako exclaimed.

"Reveal Trap: Negate Attack!" Stacey said. _This will save me for a turn, but I need to recover… desperately…_

"I end my turn." Mako said.

Stacey drew a card and scanned her hand. _That's it!_ "I play Fissure, destroying your Crab Turtle! Finally, I play Premature Burial (LP: 1920 – 800) to summon Stacey, Sage to the Water Temple one more time (ATK: 3510)!"

"Oh yeah!" CJ exclaimed.

"Oh no!" Mako shouted.

"Time to end this duel with a direct attack!" Stacey said, as she launched a blast of magic at Mako (LP: 0), ending the duel.

"Oh no!" Mako exclaimed as the waterfall knocked him off his platform and into the water below. Stacey and CJ climbed down the cliffs to the shores of the lake below, where Mako waited. He held out his Locator Card and two more cards.

"Nice duel, Mako." Stacey said.

"Thank you." Mako said. "For winning, here's my Locator Card and my two rarest cards… Levia Dragon Daedulus and Ocean Dragon Lord Neo Daedulus."

"You only need to give me one…" Stacey said.

"One is useless without the other." Mako said. "Take them both."

"Thank you…" Stacey said.

"You're welcome." Mako said. "But I am out of the tournament… I must go…" Mako then walked away.

"I'm proud of you, Stacey." CJ said. "That was an impressive duel."


	4. Underwho? Underwood

**CHAPTER FOUR: Underwho? Underwood!**

CJ and Stacey walked through Kakariko Graveyard, looking at all the graves.

"So, all these people served the Royal Family in some way?" Stacey asked.

"Or they were part of the Royal Family." CJ said. "With the exception of Shaylene's family. Everyone buried here is either a Royal Family member, or a servant of the Royal Family, be they Zora, Goron or Sheikah."

"Why only those tribes?" Stacey asked.

"The Gorons and the Zora have always been close to the Royal Family." CJ said. "The Patriarch of the Goron tribe has always considered the King of Hyrule as his Sworn Brother…"

"That's pretty cool." Stacey said.

"The Zora are the guardians of Hyrule's water sources and close to the Royal Family as well. That's probably another reason why you and I are together." CJ said. "I may not have been born into the Royal Family, but I married into it… and after all the deaths in the Floyd family, my family inherited the royal heritage, although my family has served the Royal Family for generations."

"Wow… And what about the Sheikah?" Stacey asked.

"That's just what I was talking about when I mentioned my family. The Sheikah have been nannies, teachers and guardians to the Royal Family since the beginning of time. That's why I did my best to protect Saria, Kylie, Shaylene and now you. However, like I said before, I failed to do that with Saria, Kylie and even Shaylene, although the goddesses revived her. But, I refuse to fail this time. I'm not going to lose you like I did with the three of them." CJ said.

"And, why is that?" Stacey asked.

"Because… Like I said… You're my soul mate, and I want to be with you forever." CJ said. Stacey smiled as her eyes filled with tears.

"I couldn't ask for anyone better than you… You're so perfect…" She said, wrapping her arms around CJ.

"Aww, thanks, honey… So are you…" CJ said, smiling.

"So… shall we head somewhere for another duel?" Stacey asked.

"Actually, I have some business to take care of back in Castle Town." CJ said. "I'll catch up with you later, honey."

"Okay." Stacey said. "I'm gonna head back up to Zora's Domain, since my monsters get a field power bonus there."

"Good luck." CJ said.

"Thanks."

_**Meanwhile, in the Lost Woods…**_

Mike walked through the maze of the Lost Woods, until he came to a small clearing. Nestled in between two tall, long hedges was a steel gate. Mike walked over to it and took a small key out of his pocket. He unlocked the gate and walked through a small maze until he came to a small clearing. Surrounding that clearing was tall stone wall. At the other end of the clearing, sitting atop a small cliff, was a small stone building built into the wall.

"There it is… The Forest Temple…" Mike said to himself. "I never thought I'd see it in person." Suddenly, he sensed something. "What the heck is that?" The skies then darkened and poison began to drift through the air. "Poison!"

"Nyee hee hee hee!" A shrill laughed pierced Mike's ears. He looked up to the roof of the Forest Temple and saw a familiar green-haired boy standing there. Floating above him was a large moth.

"Weevil Underwood!" Mike exclaimed.

"Welcome to my web, said the Skulltula to the Fairy…" Weevil laughed.

"This is sacred ground! How dare you set foot here?" Mike yelled.

"Because I knew if I waited here, I'd lure out the best opponent for me… The Sage of the Forest." Weevil chuckled.

"And how dare you spread poison through the air!" Mike shouted. "Are you aware what could happen because of you?" Mike then activated his Duel Disk. "You need to be taught a lesson!" Then, a small monster that looked like a clump of grass appeared on the field. "I summon Nettles (ATK: 1560)! Your move."

"I summon Insect Soldiers of the Sky (DEF: 1040)." Weevil said, summoning a flying green bug with brown wings. "Go."

"I equip Nettles with Thorn of Malice (ATK: 2160)." Mike said. "Nettles, attack Insect Soldiers of the Sky! Now, thanks to my spell card, your monster isn't destroyed by this battle. However, you still take battle damage."

"What?" Weevil exclaimed, as Nettles continued on to hit him (LP: 4000 – 1120).

"Next, your monster loses 600 attack and defense (DEF: 440)." Mike said. "Go."

"I play Fissure!" Weevil said. "Say goodbye to Nettles! Now, Insect Soldiers (ATK: 700), attack Mike directly!" Mike chuckled as Weevil's monster attacked (LP: 4000 – 700). "Your turn."

"I summon Puppet Plant (ATK: 1300)." Mike said, summoning a potted plant monster. "Attack Insect Soldiers!" Weevil gasped as his monster exploded (LP: 2880 – 600). "Go."

"I summon a defense monster." Weevil said. "Your turn."

"I summon Koa'ki Meiru Gravirose (ATK: 2470)!" Mike said, summoning a humanoid monster with a leaf-like dress and a rose atop its head. "Attack that defense! Now, I end my turn by revealing the Evil Thorn in my hand, allowing Gravirose to stay on the field."

"I summon Petit Moth and equip it with Cocoon of Evolution (DEF: 2600)!" Weevil said, summoning a green worm that was quickly covered in a pink silk cocoon. "Next, I play Insect Barrier and lay a card face down. Now, any insects you have can't attack."

"Too bad I don't have any insects." Mike laughed.

"Your move." Weevil said.

"I sacrifice my two monsters to summon my ultimate card… Mike, Sage of the Forest (ATK: 3380)!" Mike said, as his monsters vanished and he stepped onto the field. "Next, I discard a plant from my hand to destroy your Petit Moth!" Weevil gasped as his cocoon vanished. "Now I attack!"

"I reveal my trap: DNA Surgery!" Weevil said. "Now, all face up monsters become Insects, which means my Insect Barrier stops your attack!"

"Damn!" Mike exclaimed. "Go."

"A good duelist always comes prepared…" Weevil said. "I summon a second Petit Moth and equip it with another Cocoon of Evolution (DEF: 2600)! Your move."

"I can't attack, so I pass." Mike said. Meanwhile, a familiar duelist stood watching the duel from atop the wall surrounded the Forest Temple.

_Weevil didn't come prepared… I'm sure he cheated. And, defiling sacred ground with the poison of his Great Moth like he did… This won't end well for Weevil…_

"That's one turn for my Moth…" Weevil said. "Four more and you're in trouble. I pass."

"I place two cards face down and end my turn." Mike said. "Go."

"Two turns…" Weevil said. "I summon a monster in defense mode. Go."

"I activate the field spell, Forest Temple!" Mike said. "The area around us may not change, but I still get a Sage power bonus (ATK: 4080)! Go."

"I flip up my Man-Eater Bug (ATK: 585), destroying your Sage of the Forest card!" Weevil smiled. Mike gasped as his sage card vanished and he stepped back. "Go."

"I summon Mystic Tomato (ATK: 1820)." Mike said, summoning a monstrous tomato. "Go."

"I switch Man-Eater Bug to defense mode (DEF: 780)." Weevil said. "Go."

_This card should be able to defend my life points…_ Mike thought. "I sacrifice Mystic Tomato to summon Phantom Ganon, Evil Spirit from Beyond (DEF: 1170)." Then, a man in black armor, wearing a skull mask and riding a phantom horse, appeared on the field. "Go."

"Cocoon of Evolution, evolve!" Weevil exclaimed, as his cocoon cracked open and a large green moth with blue wings emerged. "I summon Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth (ATK: 4550)!"

_That's not good… _Mike said. _I need to find a way to take down that moth before Weevil crushes me!_


	5. Underwho? Underwood Part II

**CHAPTER FIVE: Underwho? Underwood! Part 2**

"Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth! Attack Phantom Ganon!" Weevil exclaimed. Mike smiled as Great Moth's attack connected, but Phantom Ganon remained on the field. "What happened?"

"Sorry, but Phantom Ganon can't be destroyed in battle." Mike said.

"I end my turn." Weevil said, frustrated.

"I pass." Mike said.

"I lay a card face down." Weevil said. The mystery duelist stood atop the wall, watching the duel.

_Phantom Ganon is the only thing saving Mike right now. But, if he draws the right cards, Weevil's toast._

"I lay one card face down and end my turn." Mike said.

"I activate Non Aggression Area, which prevents you from summoning in your next turn." Weevil said. "Your move."

"I pass." Mike said.

"I lay a monster in defense mode." Weevil said. "Go."

"I place a monster in defense mode and end my turn." Mike said.

"I set another monster in defense mode." Weevil said. "Go."

"I summon another defense mode." Mike said. "Your move."

"I flip up another Man-Eater Bug (ATK: 585), destroying Phantom Ganon!" Weevil said.

"Sorry, but Phantom Ganon can't be destroyed by effects either." Mike smirked.

"Damn! I end my turn!" Weevil said.

"I pass." Mike said.

"I switch Man-Eater Bug to defense (DEF: 780) and end my turn." Weevil said.

"I summon Twilight Rose Knight (ATK: 1300)." Mike said, summoning a blue haired knight in purple armor. "Next, I activate the spell card, Hero's Bow! Now, Twilight Rose Knight can't attack, and Phantom Ganon is destroyed!"

"Ha ha! You just destroyed your own monster!" Weevil laughed.

"Yes, but by destroying Phantom Ganon, I can special summon myself again (ATK: 4080)." Mike said, stepping onto the field. "Next, I equip myself with Forest Medallion, boosting my strength (ATK: 4680). Finally, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Insect Barrier!"

"Oh no!" Weevil exclaimed.

_That's it… That's the combo that Mike needed…_ The mystery duelist thought.

"You staked out MY sacred meadow in hopes of luring me into a duel, and for that, you'll pay!" Mike said, as he launched an attack that destroyed Great Moth, denting Weevil's life points (LP: 2280 – 130). "Now, make your final move."

"I may not win, but neither will you!" Weevil exclaimed, as he deactivated his Duel Disk. He then dropped something behind him and rushed out of the meadow. The mystery duelist then leaped down from above.

"Weevil, you cheat! Get back here!" He exclaimed.

"CJ? What are you doing here?" Mike asked.

"I could sense trouble at the Forest Temple." CJ said. "I didn't realize it was only Weevil."

"When I got here, he was waiting for me. His Great Moth was releasing poison into the air." Mike said. "Apparently, he set a trap for me, hoping to duel me in my own sacred meadow."

"That's Weevil for you…" CJ said. "He's one of the biggest cheats you'll find." Suddenly, an explosion rocked the meadow, and flames surrounded the two.

"What the-?" Mike exclaimed.

"Of all the underhanded things!" CJ shouted, launching a blast of shadow magic at the walls of the corridor leading to the Forest Temple.

"Aaahh!" Weevil cried out as the walls crumbled down upon him, killing him instantly.

"That wasn't something I wanted to do, but Weevil had to pay for his crimes…" CJ said. He then began to clutch the Triforce Amulet around his neck. His hands began to glow light blue.

"What are you planning?" Mike asked.

"I'm using my amulet to tap into Stacey's power to cast Blizzard." CJ said.

"You think Blizzara can put out these flames?" Mike asked.

"No, but Blizzaga should be able to." CJ said. "Blizzaga!" He shouted, and an icy wind whipped through the area. The flames vanished and a gentle snow began to fall on the Sacred Forest Meadow. CJ then walked down to Weevil's body and grabbed his deck.

"Here. Weevil's Locator Card, along with his Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth cards." CJ said. "You won them."

"Yeah." Mike said. "Thanks. But, what are we gonna do about Weevil?"

"I'll take care of this mess." CJ said.

"What about your tournament duels?" Mike asked.

"This won't slow me down at all." CJ said. "Go. Find another opponent and make your way to the finals."

"Okay." Mike said. "I'm gonna head out to Gerudo Desert and find Sarah. Hopefully, we'll see you at the finals."

"I wouldn't worry about that." CJ chuckled. "We'll definitely meet up there."

Mike laughed. "Awesome." He then vanished in a swirl of leaves.

_**Meanwhile, in Kakariko…**_

Yugi stood in the center of the village, dueling a man about the age of 35 in a red suit. He had blue eyes and long silver hair that covered one of his eyes. On his field was a small toon-like white dragon. On Yugi's field was his famous Dark Magician.

"I equip Dark Magician with Mage Power (ATK: 4000)!" Yugi said. "Now, Dark Magician, destroy Blue Eyes Toon Dragon and end this duel!" The silver-haired man smiled as his dragon exploded (LP: 0) and the duel came to an end.

"You may have lost your title and the god cards, but you're still as powerful as ever, Yugi-boy." The man said.

"Thanks, Pegasus." Yugi said.

"Here." The man, Duel Monsters creator Maximillion Pegasus, said. "My Locator Card and my rarest card."

"Keep the rarest card, Pegasus." Yugi said. "I'll just take your Locator Card."

"Still a kind soul, Yugi-boy." Pegasus said. "If only I had been gifted with a heart like yours when I was younger… Maybe I would've never done the dark things I've done…"

"Pegasus…" Yugi said. "You could learn a thing or two from your successor."

"I know, Yugi-boy." Pegasus said. "I've stopped moping… CJ has endured far more suffering and pain than I did when I lost Cecilia, and yet, he remains strong in the light…"

_**Back in the Sacred Forest Meadow…**_

CJ stood near the rubble with an older gentleman in a purple robe, and an elder Zora woman in a blue robe.

"Your Majesty…" The elder man said. "This tournament is dangerous! You cannot deny it!"

"Weevil's a cheat who had to be dealt with!" CJ shouted. "Just because one life was lost doesn't mean this tournament is dangerous!"

"Two bodies were found in the desert, and it appears that their souls were stolen!" The Zora exclaimed.

"What?" CJ exclaimed.

"And, after the attack by Raem, and the poisonous miasma, we're not taking chances." The man said.

"Who found the men?" CJ asked.

"A young Zora duelist, seeking challengers in the desert." The Zora woman said.

"Nikolas… Ruten… Why was I not informed of this earlier?" CJ asked.

"It… It was a lapse in our judgment, Your Majesty." The man, Nikolas, said.

"And the Queen?" CJ asked. "Was she informed?"

"Well, sir…" The Zora, Ruten, said. "… I'm afraid that we can't find her…"

"WHAT?" CJ exclaimed. "Ruten, you are part of the Zora Council, and the main Hyrule Council! It's your job to see to the safety of both the Queen and the Sage of Water, who, might I remind you, are ONE AND THE SAME!"

"Your Majesty, I apologize for my…"

"Save it. I don't want to hear your excuses." CJ said. "You're position on the council has been terminated until I decide otherwise." With that, CJ vanished. Nikolas and Ruten looked at each other.

"I… I'm returning to Zora's Domain…" Ruten said. "I shall see you later, Nikolas."

"I will contact other council members to aid me here." Nikolas said.


	6. Quest for the Destiny Cards

**CHAPTER SIX: Quest for the Destiny Cards**

CJ rushed through Castle Town, dialing a number on his cell phone.

"Stacey, it's me… Call me when you get this! Please!" CJ exclaimed into his wife's voicemail inbox.

"CJ… I've found you!" CJ turned and saw Seto Kaiba standing there, Duel Disk active.

"I don't have time to deal with you right now, Kaiba." CJ said.

"Hmph… Is someone afraid to lose his new god cards?" Kaiba laughed.

"Shut up, Kaiba!" CJ said. "I'm getting sick and tired of you!"

"Excuse me?"

"Every time you throw a tournament in Hyrule, someone gets hurt or killed!" CJ said. "And more often than not, it's by your hand! First, in your stupid GSIT almost 9 years ago, Saria's best friend Teran was killed… by you when you summoned the King of Evil!"

"What are you talking about?"

"And let's not forget last year's GSIT, when you did the same thing again to Ryan!" CJ shouted.

"I didn't do any of that stuff!" Kaiba yelled.

"And let's not forget the numerous people who were hurt in Battle City… Odion, Mai, Marik, Bakura, Joey…" CJ said. "And three people have already fallen in this tournament, and people haven't even been dueling for a day!"

"How dare you accuse me of being responsible for that?" Kaiba exclaimed.

"And, on top of all that, my wife is missing!" CJ said. "And, if I don't find her fast, I'll have your head on a silver platter, Seto Kaiba!"

"That's it!" Kaiba shouted, activating his Duel Disk. "I've had it with listening to you babble on, blaming me for the deaths of your friends! Let's duel! If I win, you hand over the god cards, the Destiny Cards, all your Locator Cards, and you shut up!"

"Fine, but if win, I get all your Locator Cards and your three Blue Eyes White Dragons." CJ said.

"If you win, which you won't… And you get a Locator Card, and nothing else." Kaiba said.

_I'm tired of this scumbag…_ CJ thought. "Fine. We'll duel."

"I summon a monster in defense mode and lay a card face down." Kaiba said. "Go."

"I summon Skilled Dark Magician (ATK: 1900)." CJ said, summoning a mage in a gold and blue robe. "Attack that defense!"

"You destroyed Peten the Dark Clown!" Kaiba said. "And when he's destroyed, I can summon another Dark Clown (DEF: 1200)!" Then, an orange haired clown in a green and yellow bodysuit appeared on the field.

"I end my turn." CJ said.

"I play Cost Down, reducing the level of all monsters in my hand by two." Kaiba smirked. "Next, I sacrifice Peten to summon my Blue Eyes White Dragon (ATK: 3000)!" Then, the infamous white dragon appeared on Kaiba's field. "Destroy that Skilled Dark Magician! White Lightning!" CJ watched as Blue Eyes's attack connected with Skilled Dark Magician, destroying it (LP: 4000 – 1100). "Go."

"I play Swords of Revealing Light!" CJ said.

"Ha! What good will a three-turn delay do you?" Kaiba laughed.

_Hopefully more than you think…_ CJ thought. "Make your move."

"I lay a card face down." Kaiba said. "Go."

"I pass." CJ said.

"I lay another card face down." Kaiba said.

"I lay a card face down." CJ said. "Go."

"I pass." Kaiba said, as CJ's swords vanished.

"I play a Feather of the Phoenix to add a card to the top of my deck." CJ said. "Go."

"Blue Eyes, finish this duel! White Lightning!" Kaiba exclaimed.

"Reveal trap: Magic Cylinder!" CJ shouted.

"What?" Kaiba exclaimed with shock, as his dragon's attack was redirected at him (LP: 4000 – 1000). "I end my turn!"

"I play the card I got back with my Phoenix card… Swords of Revealing Light!" CJ said. Kaiba grew angry as CJ's glowing swords returned, stopping his attacks. "Go."

"I set a defense." Kaiba said. "Go."

"I play Graceful Charity!" CJ said. "Next, I lay a card face down and end my turn."

"I sacrifice my defense to summon Swordstalker (ATK: 2000)!" Kaiba said, summoning a purple fiend carrying a golden sword. "Go."

"I pass." CJ said. "Go."

"I pass." Kaiba said, as CJ's swords vanished. "Now, draw your last pathetic card so I can finish you off and claim my prize."

"You obviously didn't learn from the first time you said that to someone…" CJ chuckled, drawing a card. "There's a reason I beat Yugi and took his title… and god cards… My deck is unstoppable… And like any unstoppable deck, it contains an unstoppable monster…" Kaiba gasped as a large stone-like, humanoid monster appeared on the field. It wore an Egyptian style headdress and its arms and legs were chained.

"It's… It's not… not possible…" Kaiba exclaimed.

"Oh, it's very possible, Seto Kaiba!" CJ exclaimed. "Exodia, end this duel! Hellfire's Rage- Exodo Flame!" Kaiba gasped as his field was destroyed and his life points were depleted.

"You must have cheated!" Kaiba exclaimed. "I demand a rematch, and this time you can't use Exodia!" CJ laughed.

"Fine…" He said. "I won't use Exodia, and I'll prove to you that my victory wasn't a fluke." CJ then removed the Exodia cards from his deck and inserted 5 new cards. "I'll start with Skilled Dark Magician (ATK: 1900) and I card face down."

"I summon a monster in defense mode." Kaiba said. "Go."

"I activate Graceful Charity!" CJ said. "Next, I summon another Skilled Dark Magician (ATK: 1900) and attack your defense!" Kaiba smiled as a small pink orb appeared on his field before exploding. Two more appeared (ATK: 1000 [x2]) as CJ's life points took a hit (LP: 4000 – 500).

"You destroyed Giant Germ, allowing me to summon two more." Kaiba said.

"Skilled Dark Magician, attack one of those Germs!" CJ said. "I may lose life points for destroying it (LP: 3500 – 500), but I doubt you have any more in your deck."

"You'll pay for that…" Kaiba said (LP: 4000 – 900).

"Go." CJ said.

"I switch Giant Germ to defense mode (DEF: 100) and summon another defense monster." Kaiba said. "Go."

"I lay a card face down and summon a monster in defense mode." CJ said. "Skilled Dark Magicians, take out those defenses!" Kaiba watched as his only defenses were shattered. "Go."

"I summon a defense and lay a card face down." Kaiba said. "Go."

"Skilled Dark Magician, attack that defense!" CJ said.

"Reveal trap: Shadow Spell!" Kaiba said. "This stops your monster from attacking and lowers its points (ATK: 1900 – 700)."

"But I still have my other Magician! Attack!" CJ said, as his second mage wiped out Kaiba's defense. "Go."

"Mystic Horseman (ATK: 1300)!" Kaiba said. "Wipe out that weakened magician!"

"Reveal trap!" CJ said. "Mirror Force! Say goodbye to your monster!" Kaiba watched as his monster's attack was bounced back at it, destroying it.

"I end my turn, but don't think you'll win this!" Kaiba said.

"Oh, I'm gonna win… And I know just how to do it…" CJ smirked. "I sacrifice my three monsters…" Kaiba watched as the skies around him darkened and the clouds turned to a deep red color. "To summon Obelisk the Tormentor (ATK: 4000)!" A large, blue, muscular humanoid monster appeared on the field.

"Impossible! Y-you summoned a god card?" Kaiba exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm not done…" CJ said. "I play Evil's Summoning Ritual and sacrifice Slifer the Sky Dragon from my hand to summon Ganondorf, the King of Evil (ATK: 4500)!" Kaiba gasped as a crimson-haired, crimson-eyed man in black armor and a crimson cape appeared on the field. The skies darkened almost as black as night, and lightning began to strike all around Castle Town.

_**Meanwhile, on Death Mountain…**_

Yugi and Tea looked out over Hyrule at the sight of dark clouds over Castle Town.

"Oh no!" Tea exclaimed. "Someone's in trouble!"

_**On Snowpeak…**_

"Serenity, look at Castle Town…" Tristan said.

"Let's go help!" Serenity said.

_**In Hyrule Field…**_

Joey and Mai gasped at the lightning striking Castle Town.

"Joey! We have to help!" Mai said.

"Let's go! Someone might be in trouble!" Joey said.

_**In Gerudo Desert…**_

Sarah and Mike looked toward Castle Town.

"That doesn't look good…" Mike said.

"I sense something dark and powerful… We need to go!" Sarah exclaimed.

_**In Hyrule Castle's Courtyard…**_

Shay stood dueling a young man about the age of 14 or 15. He had red hair and yellow eyes, and wore a shirt that read "Castle Town Heroes". Suddenly, the skies darkened and Shaylene gasped.

"The King of Evil…" She mumbled. "Jacob, I have to go… We'll duel another time…"

"What's wrong?" The boy asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but I think it has something to do with CJ." She said.

"What can you do?" The boy, Shaylene's friend Jacob, asked. "You're not a Sage…"

"I don't know!" Shaylene said, running out.

_**In Castle Town Square…**_

"This is it, Kaiba… Time to summon the ultimate monster… stronger than the Egyptian gods… stronger than the Triforce Destiny Cards… stronger even than Exodia…" CJ said. "I sacrifice Obelisk the Tormentor and Ganondorf, the King of Evil…" At that moment, everyone entered Castle Town.

"No way!" Tea exclaimed.

"CJ and Kaiba are dueling!" Joey said.

"And, CJ's got his King of Evil out!" Yugi shouted. Suddenly, the two monsters vanished in a cloud of darkness. When the cloud vanished, a new beast stood in their place. It looked like the King of Evil, but he wore crimson armor, a cape as black as knight, and he carried a golden sword with a hilt resembling Obelisk the Tormentor.

"Behold, Kaiba!" CJ said. "Ganon, the Dark King of Torment (ATK: 10000)!"

"Impossible!" Kaiba exclaimed. "You fused a god card and a Triforce Destiny card?"

"I did!" CJ exclaimed, darkness present in his voice. Suddenly, Mike and Sarah rushed in.

"Oh no!" Sarah exclaimed. "The darkness I sense! It's coming from CJ!"

"This one's for Ryan, Teran and Saria!" CJ said, tears in his eyes. "Dark King of Torment, end this duel… And Kaiba's life! Chaos Blade of Fate!" Everyone watched as the Dark King rushed forward, sword drawn, ready to strike Kaiba. Suddenly, an image of Stacey flashed in CJ's mind, followed by a vision of the past…

_CJ now stood in Hyrule Castle's throne room, face-to-face with Ganondorf. Not too far behind CJ stood Stacey. CJ had his sword drawn._

_"You've plagued me long enough!" CJ said, rushing forward._

"_Ha! You're the plague!" Ganondorf laughed, as he backhanded CJ, knocking him back with a blast of magic that rendered him unconscious. He then floated over and drew his sword. "It's time I end this…" He thrust his sword downward, ready to kill._

"_Leave him alone!" Stacey exclaimed, launching a wave of water that slammed Ganondorf into the wall of the throne room, cracking the wall._

"_Insolent girl!" Ganondorf shouted. "You obviously know nothing of the three who preceded you! Two of them died doing just what you're doing! Fighting to save the boy's life!" Ganondorf then launched a blast of magic that knocked Stacey to the ground. He then floated over and drew his sword. "It's too bad the boy isn't awake to watch me kill you too…" CJ weakly opened his eyes and turned to see Ganondorf, sword drawn, ready to kill Stacey._

_"No… I won't… I won't fail… again… not like… Saria… and Shaylene…" CJ mumbled. "I… won't lose… my soul mate…" Suddenly, his amulet began to glow and his strength was restored._

"_It's time to die!" Ganondorf shouted. "Finally, I'm rid of the Royal Fa-!" Ganondorf's sentence was cut short as CJ drove the Gerudo Master Sword through his back and out his chest._

_"I don't know how Raem managed to bring you back to life, Ganondorf, but I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen again!" CJ exclaimed._

"_Wrong!" Ganondorf exclaimed. "If I go down, you're going with me!" Ganondorf then spun his sword around and thrust it behind him, piercing CJ's abdomen._

_CJ cried out in pain. "You'll… pay… for that…" He said, as he charged magic into his sword, causing Ganondorf to burst into ashes. Then, with a mighty blast, he launched a shadow blast that scattered the ashes across Hyrule, before collapsing to the ground unconscious._

"Stacey…" CJ mumbled. Suddenly, more visions flooded his mind.

_"Ganondorf, attack Teran and his Black Luster Soldier! Destroy them both with your Triforce sword of darkness!" the new Kaiba commanded. Everyone watched captivated as Ganondorf punched Black Luster Soldier aside and advanced at Teran. Teran stepped back nervously as the monster drew its sword. Teran reached for his duel disk and turned it back to its watch mode._

_"Saria! Take these!" Teran shouted. Teran tossed the watch and Saria caught it._

_"Teran! Get out of there!" Tristan commanded._

_"I can't! This monster is no hologram! He's..." But Teran couldn't finish his sentence as Ganondorf slashed Teran in the chest. Teran's chest was on fire. He fell to one knee and wrapped his arms around his belly. Blood quickly seeped through the wound._

_"He's real!" Ryan gasped._

_"Teran!" Saria cried._

"_CJ!" Ryan exclaimed. "Get everyone out of here!"_

"_What?" CJ asked._

_"Kaiba is possessed by Agahnim!" Ryan exclaimed._

"_The Ancient Sorcerer?" CJ asked._

_"Yes." Ryan said. "Now, go!"_

_"What about you?" CJ asked. Ryan deactivated his Duel Disk and threw the watch and deck to CJ. He then drew the sword sheathed at his back. It was a silver, double-edged sword with a blue hilt, the sacred Master Sword. On Ryan's hand, glowing brightly, was the Triforce of Courage._

"_Get everyone out of here!" Ryan exclaimed, and everyone but CJ ran out of the gym. "I'll fight the King!"_

_"King of Darkness!" Kaiba exclaimed, as Agahnim appeared behind him._

_"Ganon! Finish what we started centuries ago! Kill the Hero!" Agahnim shouted._

_"Ryan! No!" CJ exclaimed._

_"CJ! Run! NOW! Or Ganondorf will get you too!" Ryan exclaimed. "You have to run from Ga-" His sentence was cut short as Ganon drove his trident into Ryan's chest. Blood poured from the wound as he fell lifeless to the ground._

"STOP!" CJ shouted, as the Dark King of Torment froze in his tracks. CJ fell to his knees and began to weep. "What's wrong with me? Why am I acting like this? Why can't I fight the darkness in my heart?"

"You fool… You should've attacked me… You would've won." Kaiba said. "But since you didn't have the courage to attack me, I guess I'll count this as a forfeit. Hand over all your Locator Cards, your god cards and the Triforce Destiny Cards."

"Kaiba!" Tea shouted. "CJ just spared your life, and all you care about is some stupid duel? You're more heartless than I thought! Get out of here!"

"Hmph… Fine… But I will get those cards…" Kaiba said, walking away.

"Are you okay, CJ?" Shaylene asked, running over to her friend.

"I… I need to go find Stacey…" CJ said, standing up and walking away.

Meanwhile, Kotake and Koume stood nearby, atop a building, watching the events that had just played out.

"Perfect…" Kotake said. "Little does CJ know, he's helping us light the Flames of Destruction, Sorrow and Despair."

"And once all three flames are lit and we kill CJ and Stacey…" Koume said. "We'll use the spirit of our son within the King of Evil card to bring him back… And Lord Ganondorf will rule Hyrule!" The two witches laughed as they vanished…


	7. Rage of a Raptor

**CHAPTER SEVEN: Rage of a Raptor**

Everyone was gathered in Castle Town Square, minus CJ and Stacey.

"Wow… That duel really freaked CJ out, huh?" Joey said.

"Well, yeah." Yugi said. "I mean, he nearly killed Kaiba with the King of Evil. When I dueled Kaiba on top of Pegasus's castle in Duelist Kingdom, and I thought Atem was willing to do anything to win, I was scared to duel again."

"Yeah, I remember that…" Tristan said. "I hope CJ's not in the same boat as you were."

"If he is, Stacey will be able to snap him out of it." Shaylene said.

"You really think so?" Tea asked.

"There's something special about her…" Shaylene said. "I don't know what, but she can affect him like no else can. I overheard him mumble her name shortly before he called off the King of Evil's attack."

"Really?" Serenity asked.

"Yeah… He must really like her…" Shaylene said. "Although I can't really blame him. They have so much in common, and she's a lot closer to his age than I am."

"That's true…" Tea said. "I was kinda wondering what was going through his head when he chose you… No offense."

"None taken." Shaylene said.

"Hey, we're gonna take off." Mike said. "We'll catch you guys later."

"Yeah, sitting around here worrying about CJ isn't gonna do us any good." Yugi said. "Let's get back to the tournament."

_**Later…**_

Sarah and Mike walked up to a tall, ancient coliseum on the edge of Gerudo Desert.

"The Arbiter's Grounds?" Mike asked. "Why are we here?"

"I'm looking for an opponent." Sarah said.

"And you think you can find one here?" Mike asked.

"Yeah." Sarah said, as she and Mike entered the Arbiter's Grounds. They soon reached the inner chamber. "They're has to be a challenge here."

"You got that right!" Sarah and Mike looked ahead of them and saw a familiar brown-haired boy. "I'm gonna take you down here and you'll join the fossils buried here!"

"Rex Raptor… Sweet…" Sarah said. _This'll definitely put my skills to the test. _"I'll start!

I summon Gerudo Spear Guard (ATK: 1820)." Then, a red-haired, yellow-eyed woman in purple, desert-style clothing appeared on the field. In her hand was a spear. "And, now, I can Special Summon Gerudo Guard (ATK: 2210)." Then, another red-haired, yellow-eyed woman appeared on the field. She wore a red tube top, white vest, and white desert style pants. "Finally, I lay a card face down and end my turn."

"I summon Black Stego (ATK: 1200)." Rex said, summoning a green stegosaurus. "Whoa… Where's my power bonus?"

"Sorry, but the only monsters getting a boost here are my monsters." Sarah smirked. 

"I thought this ancient coliseum would work like a wasteland field." Rex said.

"Nope." Sarah said. "But it would be a different story if you had challenged me outside in the desert."

"I end my turn by playing Yellow Luster Shield, boosting the defense of all my monsters by 300 points (DEF: 2300)." Rex said.

"I activate Gravekeeper's Servant!" Sarah said. "Now, whenever you attack, you'll have to send the top card on your deck to the graveyard. And with that, I end my turn."

"I summon a second Black Stego (DEF: 2300) and end my turn." Rex said. "Go."

"I summon Gerudo Swordswoman (ATK: 2210)." Sarah said, summoning a red-haired, yellow-eyed woman in a red, desert-style clothing, carrying two scimitars. "Go."

"I sacrifice my two monsters to summon a card I recently found myself reacquainted with… Red Eyes Black Dragon (ATK: 2400)!" Rex said, summoning a large black dragon. He then discarded the top card on his deck. "Red Eyes, attack Gerudo Spear Guard!" Sarah watched as her monster burst into flames (LP: 4000 – 580). "Your move."

"I switch my two monsters to defense mode (DEF: 2080) (DEF: 1690)." Sarah said. "Next, I lay a card face down. Go."

"I lay a card face down." Rex said. "Red Eyes, attack Gerudo Swordswoman!" Sarah watched as her swordswoman exploded. "Go."

"I sacrifice Gerudo Guard to summon Big Poe #1 (ATK: 2340)!" Sarah said, summoning a white ghost carrying a small lantern. "Go."

"I lay a card face down." Rex said. "Red Eyes, attack Big Poe #1!" Sarah chuckled as her monster exploded (LP: 3420 – 60). Her monster's lantern hit the floor and smashed, revealing a small white flame. A second ghost then took to the field.

"By destroying Big Poe #1, you've allowed me to summon Big Poe #2 (ATK: 2730)." Sarah said. "And, it's my turn. Big Poe #2, attack Red Eyes!"

"Sorry, but my Threatening Roar trap prevents you from attacking this turn!" Rex said.

"I end my turn." Sarah said.

"I activate my trap, Metalmorph!" Rex said, as his Red Eyes Black Dragon became encased in metal. "This transforms my monster into Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon (ATK: 2800)! Next, I boost its attack with Malevolent Nuzzler (ATK: 3500)! Black Metal Dragon, destroy Big Poe #2!" Sarah watched as her monster was destroyed and another flame appeared on the floor (LP: 3360 – 770). A third ghost then took to the field.

"By destroying Big Poe #2, you allowed me to summon Big Poe #3 (DEF: 3250)." Sarah said.

"I end my turn." Rex said.

"I pass." Sarah said. "Go."

_Uh oh… I don't think Sarah has a defense against that dragon…_ Mike thought. _This could be bad… Maybe she shouldn't have jumped straight into a duel with a pro._

"Red Eyes, attack!" Rex shouted.

"Guess what… you did it again, Rex…" Sarah said, as her Poe exploded and a third flame fell to the floor. A fourth Poe then formed on the field. "You allowed me to summon Big Poe #4 (ATK: 4170)!"

"Fine… I equip Red Eyes with a card I got here in Hyrule… Magic Armor!" Rex said, as Red Eyes's metal coat changed to a gold color. "Now, meet Red Eyes Golden Metal Dragon (ATK: 4200)!"

"What?" Sarah exclaimed.

"I end my turn." Rex said.

"I switch my Poe to defense mode (DEF: 3705) and end my turn." Sarah said.

"Golden Metal Dragon, attack!" Rex said, as his dragon wiped out Sarah's final defense, leaving a fourth flame on the field. "Oh, and my dragon deals Piercing Damage, meaning the difference between his attack and your monster's defense gets taken out of your life points (LP: 2590 – 495). Your move."

_Yikes… this isn't good… I've gotta make this move count or I'm out of the tournament…_ Sarah said, drawing a card. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards! Next, I play Stolen Flame!" Then, the four flames formed into a large lantern. "For each Big Poe in my graveyard, this card gets a Flame Counter (FC: 4). Now, I sacrifice my card and its four counters to summon the ultimate monster… a beast that has long haunted this ancient coliseum where the spirits damned to the darkness by the goddesses roam… Stallord, Twilight Fossil!" Rex gasped as a skeletal dragon emerged from walls behind Sarah. Stuck in its head was a black sword. "And, it gains 100 points for each Poe in the graveyard, as well as a field power bonus (ATK: 4300)!"

"What?" Rex gasped.

"Finally, I use Smashing Ground!" Sarah exclaimed. "Now, your monster with the highest defense is destroyed, and since you only have one monster, say goodbye to your Red Eyes!"

"That means I'm open to a direct attack!" Rex shouted.

"That's right you are!" Sarah exclaimed. "Stallord, end this duel with Ancient Flame!" Mike couldn't help but smile as the dragon's attack struck Rex (LP: 0), ending the duel.

"How… how could I lose…?" Rex asked.

"Hand over your Locator Card and that Magic Armor card…" Sarah said.

"Here…" Rex said. "Take them." He then walked away, leaving the Arbiter's Grounds. Mike walked over and wrapped his arms around Sarah.

"I'm proud of you, sweets." He said, smiling.

"Thanks." Sarah said.


	8. Tag Match

**CHAPTER EIGHT: Tag Match**

CJ walked through the northern Lanayru Province, along Zora's River.

_What's going on with me? Ever since I came to Hyrule, I've been struggling with the darkness inside me… I thought being Sage of Shadow and having my soul mate in my life would help me hold back the darkness, but after that duel with Kaiba, I'm not so sure…_ CJ thought._ I feel like the darkness grows stronger inside me with every passing moment… _

_**Meanwhile…**_

Yugi and Tea were walking through Kakariko Village.

"Do you think CJ's okay?" Tea asked.

"I can't say… He may seem calm and relaxed on the outside, but there's no telling what's going on in his head…" Yugi said.

"That's true." Tea said.

_**In Hyrule Field…**_

Mai and Joey stood tag dueling a pair of twins near the Faron Woods in the southernmost part of Hyrule Field. Mai had three winged women on her field: one with red hair, one with orange hair and one with blue hair. All three had light blue skin and wore golden armor. On Joey's field was a large black dragon, while the twins' field had only two blond warriors in silver armor.

"Harpie Lady Sisters!" Mai exclaimed.

"Red Eyes Black Dragon!" Joey shouted.

"Attack those Marauding Captains and end this duel!" The two commanded. Their two monsters launched their attacks, wiping out the warriors and reducing the twins' life points to zero.

"Nice duel, guys…" One of the twins said, handing over their Locator Cards and rarest cards. They then walked away.

"Hey Mai…" Joey said.

"What's up, Jo?" Mai asked.

"I'm worried about CJ." Joey said.

"I know… Me too…" Mai said. "He seemed really freaked by his duel with Kaiba…"

"You think he'll get through it?" Joey asked.

"It's like Shaylene said." Mai said. "Stacey may be his only hope."

_**At Zora's Domain…**_

CJ walked up the cliffs of the Zora's Domain waterfall pool until he reached the top of the waterfall. He walked into the small cavern nearby. The walls were a gorgeous shade of bluish-purple and a small pool of water sat in the center. Torches lit the area, and a gorgeous coral throne sat in the back of the chamber. Walking around the area were bluish-gray human-like creatures with fins on their arms and legs. The creatures were known as Zoras. CJ walked up to a Zora in the back of the chamber near the throne. He wore a gold headband and wristbands.

"Good afternoon, Councilor Rallin." CJ said. "Is Stacey around here?"

"No, Your Majesty…" Zora Council Head John Rallin said. "She left with you after her duel with Mako Tsunami and hasn't returned."

"Thanks." CJ said. "That's all I needed." He then turned and walked away. _Please Din… Don't let anything happen to Stacey… I can't lose her…_

_**On Snowpeak…**_

Tristan and Serenity were walking up the mountain, eager to find their next opponents.

"Tristan… I'm worried about CJ…" Serenity said.

"He'll be fine." Tristan said. "He's a strong guy. And like Shaylene said, once he finds Stacey, he'll be okay."

"Are you sure?" Serenity asked.

"No, but Shaylene sure seemed it." Tristan said. "And she knows him better than the rest of us."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Serenity said.

_**Sometime later, at Lake Hylia…**_

CJ walked along the shores of Hyrule's water source, Lake Hylia. Surrounded by tall cliffs and spanned by a large bridge, Lake Hylia was a beautiful sight for tourists to the kingdom. The spirit's spring, on the eastern side of the lake, where people could pray to the serpent spirit Lanayru, made for a great tourist attraction. As CJ neared the spirit's spring, the sound of a duel caught his attention.

"Morpha, direct attack!" CJ looked out to one of the floating platforms in the lake and saw Stacey dueling two men in purple robes. One of them had spiked silver hair and a sinister look to him. The other had blond hair, blue eyes, sunglasses, and an American flag bandana. Both men had empty fields, while Stacey had a small red amoeba in a pillar of water on her field (ATK: 2080). CJ watched as the pillar wrapped itself around the silver haired man, picked him up and threw him into the water (LP: 2500 – 2080). "Go."

_That's Bandit Keith and Seeker! _CJ thought. _The leaders of the Neo Ghouls! No doubt they're after the Triforce Destiny Cards… But… I can't duel them… Not after what I almost did to Kaiba… I… _

"It's over, girl!" Bandit Keith, the blond man, shouted.

"We have you beat!" Seeker, the silver haired man, said with a grin. Suddenly a familiar monster appeared behind Seeker. The same monster then appeared behind Bandit Keith. CJ's eyes widened at the sight of the creatures.

"That's… not possible…" CJ said. "How… How could they…?"

"I summon Exodia the Forbidden One!" Seeker shouted.

"And I do the same!" Bandit Keith smirked.

"What?" Stacey gasped.

"It's over!" Bandit Keith said. "Exodia!"

"Hellfire's Rage – Exodo Flame!" Seeker commanded. Stacey gasped as she was hit by both duelists' Exodia, ending the duel. Bandit Keith and Seeker walked over to Stacey, grinning evilly.

"A deal's a deal…" Bandit Keith, snatching Stacey's deck out of her Duel Disk. "I'll be taking your Hero of Time and a Locator Card."

"And I'll be taking that Ancient Sage of Water." Seeker said. "Along with your other Locator Card. It looks like someone's out of the tournament."

_Stacey lost! Those cheats! _CJ thought. _There's no way they could've both drawn Exodia at the same time!_ He then leaped toward the platform, using his shadow magic to propel himself. He landed in between Stacey and the Ghouls.

"Look, Master Keith…" Seeker said. "It worked… There's CJ…"

"Why don't you just hand over the other two Destiny Cards, since your duel with Kaiba has you scared to challenge anyone?" Bandit Keith laughed. "That's right… Word travels fast when you're a Neo Ghoul." CJ quickly activated his Duel Disk.

"Two on one's not fair… Now, shut up and tag duel us!" CJ said. "We win, and you hand over all your Locator Cards, as well as the cards you took from Stacey."

"And what if we win?" Bandit Keith asked.

"I'll give you the King of Evil, the Princess of Destiny, my two Locator Cards, and these…" CJ said, holding up three cards.

"The Egyptian god cards…" Keith smiled. "Let's duel…"

"And when we win, we'll have the most unstoppable cards in the game." Seeker said.

"Let's do this!" Keith said, as the four duelists drew 5 cards each.

"We'll start." CJ said. "Stacey and I will take our turns together, then you two will go."

"Deal." Bandit Keith said.

"CJ… I don't know if I can do this…" Stacey said.

"Stacey… I'm right here… I'll help you." CJ said. "They may have Exodia…" He smiled and held up five cards before whispering, "But so do I."

"Okay…" Stacey said. "Then… Let's do this."

"And remember, honey…" CJ said. "Don't hesitate. When the time comes, just act."

"Okay…" Stacey said.

"I'll start with Skilled Dark Magician (ATK: 1900)." CJ said, summoning a mage in a blue and gold robe.

"And I summon Mad Lobster (ATK: 2210) and lay a card face down." Stacey said, summoning a fiendish looking lobster.

"And that's it for us." CJ said.

"I lay one card face down." Seeker said.

"And I summon a defense monster." Bandit Keith said. "And now it's your move."

"Good." CJ said. "I summon a second Skilled Dark Magician (ATK: 1900) and I send my two monsters after you, Seeker!"

"I activate Shift, redirecting your first attack to Master Keith's monster!" Seeker said, as one attack was redirected, but the other hit him (LP: 4000 – 1900). CJ gasped as his monster struck a golden machine monster (DEF: 2000), damaging his life points (LP: 4000 – 100).

"Mad Lobster, finish Seeker off!" Stacey commanded.

"Armored Cybern, defend Seeker!" Keith said, as his monster blocked Stacey's attack.

"We're all done." CJ said. Seeker and Keith drew their cards. Seeker looked at Keith, who smiled and nodded.

"I summon Exodia the Forbidden One!" Seeker exclaimed, as Exodia appeared behind him.

"The rules of tag dueling state that Exodia can only wipe out one opponent, so this duel is still on!" CJ said.

"But you're not in it!" Seeker said, as Exodia ended CJ's duel.

"But now that you've beaten me with Exodia, all five cards go to the graveyard." CJ said (LP: 0).

"I still have two more sets in my deck." Seeker laughed.

"And I still have my move." Keith said. "And I summon a defense. Go."

"I summon a defense and attack Seeker with Mad Lobster!" Stacey exclaimed.

"I defend with my monster!" Keith said, as his monster blocked the attack and was destroyed.

"I end my turn." Stacey said.

"I have nothing to do." Seeker said.

"I summon another defense." Keith said.

_This is bad… Seeker still has two more Exodia sets in his deck, and Bandit Keith has one…_ CJ thought. _Stacey may not make it out of this… We may lose everything…_

"I sacrifice my defense to summon Mobius the Frost Monarch (ATK: 3120)!" Stacey said, summoning a knight in silver-blue armor and a navy blue cape. "Mad Lobster, take out that defense! Mobius, take out Seeker!" Bandit Keith and Seeker gasped as Stacey's monster wiped Seeker out (LP: 0). "Go, Keith!"

Keith reached for his deck and smirked as a card slid out of his sleeve into his hand.

"I know just how to take you down…" Keith said. "I play Master Sword Ritual!"

"Oh no!" CJ and Stacey exclaimed.

_This is bad… Keith's gonna use the Hero of Time against Stacey!_ CJ thought.

"I sacrifice two monsters from my hand to summon the Hero of Time (ATK: 3200)!" Keith said. "Perfect… I can take you down with your ultimate monster…" Stacey and CJ gasped as a blond haired, blue eyed young man in a green hat and tunic appeared on the field. In one hand was the legendary Master Sword and in the other was a Hylian Shield.

_I hate to do this, but…_ "I activate Torrential Tribute!"

"Stacey, no!" CJ exclaimed.

"What?" Stacey asked.

"The Triforce Destiny Cards are unaffected by traps!" CJ said. "The Hero of Time won't be destroyed!"

Stacey gasped. "Oh no!" She watched in horror as her two monsters were destroyed.

Meanwhile, a Neo Ghoul stood on the nearby Great Bridge of Hylia, watching the duel with binoculars.

"Master Keith… She doesn't have anything to stop you…" The Ghoul said through an earpiece. "Attack…"

_Something's not right…_ CJ thought. He closed his eyes and focused for a moment. _Wait a sec… There's a Ghoul on the bridge! Keith's cheating!_

"Hero of Time, attack!" Keith exclaimed. Stacey gasped as the Hero struck her with the Master Sword (LP: 4000 – 3200). "Go."

"I play Hammer Shot to destroy the Hero of Time!" Stacey said.

_Good move, honey… If you can manage to do enough damage to his life points, you can win this._ CJ thought.

"Next, I play Graceful Charity! I draw three cards, and then discard two!" Stacey said. "Finally, I lay a card face down and summon Familiar Possessed – Eria (ATK: 2405)!" Then, a blue haired girl in a brown cloak appeared on the field. "Attack!" Bandit Keith stumbled as Stacey's monster struck him (LP: 4000 – 2405). "Go."

"I pass." Keith said. Then, the Hero of Time returned.

"What the-?" Stacey exclaimed.

"Spell cards only affect the Triforce Destiny Cards for one turn!" CJ said. "You destroyed the Hero of Time with a spell, but since a full turn has passed, the Hero returns!"

"I activate Call of the Haunted, reviving Morpha, Giant Aquatic Amoeba (ATK: 2080)." Stacey said, summoning a red amoeba in a pillar of water.

"Ha! That failed last duel, what makes you think it'll work now?" Keith laughed.

"I play Longshot!" Stacey shouted.

_That's it! _CJ thought.

"First, I prevent my Eria from attacking this turn…" Stacey said, as a small retractable hook appeared in Eria's hand. She shot the hook at Morpha, destroying it. "And my Morpha is destroyed!"

"You idiot!" Keith laughed. "Have you given up?"

"Not quite… When Morpha is destroyed, I can summon a Sage of Water card from my deck…" Stacey said, as she stepped onto the field. "And I summon myself… Stacey, Sage to the Water Temple (ATK: 3510)!" Then, a glowing golden sword appeared in Stacey's hand. "Next, I activate Sacred Blade of the Fallen Sage, giving me a power boost (ATK: 4510)! Say goodnight to the Hero of Time!" Stacey swung her blade, releasing an energy wave that destroyed Keith's stolen Hero (LP: 285). "Go."

Keith reached for his deck and another card slipped out of his sleeve and into his hand. "I lay a card face down." This time, however, CJ noticed Keith's move.

_What a cheat! If this was my tournament, he'd be out in a flash…_ CJ thought. _I only hope Stacey can get past his cheating tricks to win this duel, or Hyrule may be doomed…_

_Perfect… When she attacks, she'll take 4510 points of damage thanks to my face down Magic Cylinder, ending her duel and scoring me the most powerful creatures in all of Duel Monsters… The Triforce Destiny Cards and the Egyptian god cards…_

"You done?" Stacey asked.

"Yes…" Keith said. _And so are you…_

"I attack you directly and end this duel!" Stacey said, swinging her sword and sending an energy beam at Keith.

"I reveal the trap that'll defeat you and earn me my ultimate prize!" Keith said. "Magic Cylinder!"

"Oh no!" CJ exclaimed.

"Activate Mystical Space Typhoon!" Stacey exclaimed.

"WHAT?" Keith and Seeker exclaimed. The energy beam struck Keith (LP: 0), ending the duel.

"Hand over Stacey's cards." CJ said. "As well as your Locator Cards…"

"Never!" Keith exclaimed. CJ snapped his fingers and a shadow rope formed around the two Ghouls. CJ reached into their decks and pulled out three cards.

"These are yours, honey." He said, handing them to Stacey.

"Thanks." Stacey said. CJ then reached into a special slot on the Ghouls' Duel Disks and pulled out two Locator Cards each. He handed three to Stacey and took one.

"I believe two of those were yours to begin with." CJ said.

"Yeah… Thanks." Stacey said.

"You're welcome, my angel." CJ said. He then smiled. "I hope you cheats can swim." He kicked Keith and Seeker, knocking them into the waters of Lake Hylia. Suddenly, a small airship swooped down and rescued the two Ghouls, before flying away.

"Cheats?" Stacey asked.

"Keith was hiding cards in his sleeve." CJ said. "And he had a Neo Ghoul on the Great Bridge of Hylia, watching the duel and telling him what cards we were holding. And, I still find it weird that Seeker got Exodia so quickly."

"Wow… I had no idea…" Stacey said.

"It's ok… You won… That's all that matters." CJ said. "And I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks." Stacey said, hugging CJ.

"You're welcome." CJ said. _Maybe Stacey really is the light that can extinguish the darkness in my heart… I can only hope so…_


	9. Revival Jam! The Unstoppable Force!

**CHAPTER NINE: Revival Jam! The Unstoppable Force!**

CJ and Stacey stood on the shores of Lake Hylia.

"Thanks for coming to my aid, honey." Stacey said.

"You're welcome… But I think you're getting to the point where you don't need it." CJ said. "So… Where to next?"

"You go where you want to." Stacey said. "I'm staying here at Lake Hylia. We'll see each other at the finals."

"You got that right, honey." CJ said. "If you need me for anything, I'll be at Kakariko Graveyard…" CJ then vanished in a flash of dark light. It was then that a voice caught Stacey's attention.

"Duel…" Stacey turned and saw a bald young man with green overalls, a black t-shirt and several facial piercings.

"What?" Stacey asked.

"Duel me…" The young man said.

"Just who are you?" Stacey asked.

"Strings…"

"And you want to duel me?" Stacey asked.

"Yes…" Strings said. "And you aren't going anywhere until we duel…"

Stacey activated her Duel Disk and slotted her deck. "Fine! Let's duel!"

"Oh… And when I win, you'll hand over your Hero of Time for Master Keith…" Strings said.

_He's a Neo Ghoul? Uh-oh…_ "I play Dian Keto the Cure Master, boosting my life points (LP: 5000)." Stacey said. Then a warrior in light blue, icy armor, appeared on the field. "Next, I summon Blizzard Warrior (ATK: 1820). Go."

"I summon Mother Grizzly (ATK: 1820)." Strings said, summoning a blue bear. "Attack Blizzard Warrior!" Stacey watched as both monsters were destroyed.

"Ha! You just lost your own monster." Stacey said. "What good was that?"

"When Mother Grizzly is destroyed in battle, I can summon a Water monster with 1500 attack or less from my deck…" Strings said, as a blue blob monster appeared on the field. "So I summon Revival Jam (ATK: 1950). Next, I play Card of Safe Return and end my turn."

"I summon Kabazauls (ATK: 2210)!" Stacey said, summoning a red rhino. "Attack that Revival Jam!" Strings chuckled as his monster vanished (LP: 4000 – 260) and then reformed on his field.

"Sorry, but when Revival Jam is destroyed, he returns to the field (ATK: 1950)." Strings said. "And, when it returns to the field, thanks to my Card of Safe Return, I can draw three cards."

"I end my turn." Stacey said.

"I lay one card face down, and then activate two cards: Infinite Cards and the Umiiruka field spell!" Strings exclaimed. "First, thanks to Infinite Cards, there's no limit to the number of cards I can hold in my hand… Second, thanks to Umiiruka, all water monsters on the field gain a 500 attack point boost, including my Revival Jam (ATK: 2450)."

"But that also includes my Kabazauls (ATK: 2710)." Stacey smiled.

"I end my turn."

"I sacrifice Kabazauls to summon Mobius the Frost Monarch (ATK: 3620)!" Stacey said. "And since I summoned him successfully, Infinite Cards and Card of Safe Return are destroyed! Now, Mobius, attack Revival Jam!" Strings smiled as his Jam was destroyed (LP: 3740 – 1170) and then returned to the field (ATK: 2450). "I end my turn."

"I pass my turn." Strings said.

"Mobius, attack Revival Jam again!" Stacey said, as Revival Jam was destroyed (Strings's LP: 2570 – 1170) and returned to the field (ATK: 2450).

"I lay a card face down." Strings said. "Your move."

_**Meanwhile, in Kakariko Graveyard…**_

CJ walked into the graveyard, where a Neo Ghoul stepped in his way.

"CJ Francis… King of Hyrule, and owner of the Egyptian gods… I challenge you to a duel for the god cards and your Triforce Destiny Cards…" The Ghoul said.

"Fine! And when I win, you'll deliver a message to Bandit Keith…" CJ said. "No one's getting a hand on the Triforce Destiny Cards!"

"I'll begin!" The Ghoul said. "I summon Regenerating Mummy (ATK: 2340)!" Then, a decaying mummy appeared on the field. "Next, I lay two cards face down and end my turn."

"I lay two cards face down as well." CJ said. "Go."

"Regenerating Mummy, attack!" The Ghoul said.

"Activate Spellbinding Circle!" CJ said. The Ghoul watched as his monster was trapped in a magic circle. "Now, your monster can't attack."

"I end my turn." The Ghoul said.

"I lay a card face down." CJ said. "Go."

"I summon Jirai Gumo (ATK: 2200)!" The Ghoul said, summoning a large brown spider. "Next, I use Dust Tornado to destroy your Spellbinding Circle! Now, my monsters, attack CJ directly and end this duel!"

"Activate trap: Mirror Force!" CJ said. "So, your monsters are destroyed!"

"I end my turn with a face down card." The Ghoul said.

"I play Graceful Charity to draw three cards and discard two." CJ said. "Next, I play Premature Burial (LP: 4000 – 800) to revive one of the cards I just discarded: Blue Eyes White Dragon (ATK: 3000)!" Then, the legendary white dragon appeared on CJ's field. "Attack!"

"I activate my trap: Embodiment of Apophis!" The Ghoul said. "This card activates my trap, but attacks like a monster!" Then, a humanoid snake-like creature appeared on the Ghoul's field (DEF: 1000). CJ watched as the snake monster was destroyed.

"That defended your life points, but you won't stand up to my Blue Eyes for long." CJ said. _I have a feeling I know who this Ghoul is, and I'm shocked that he's working for Bandit Keith…_

"I activate a field spell… Temple of the Kings!" The Ghoul said, as a large, Egyptian temple appeared behind him.

_I knew it!_ CJ thought.

_**Back at Lake Hylia…**_

"I summon Mermaid Knight (ATK: 2450)." Stacey said, summoning a red-haired mermaid in metal armor.

"Activate trap: Trap Hole!" Strings said. "Now your mermaid is destroyed!"

"Mobius, attack Revival Jam!" Stacey said. Strings smiled as his monster was destroyed (LP: 1400 – 1170) and then returned to the field (ATK: 2450). "Your move."

"I activate Demon Train!" Strings said. "I can only play this is my life points are 1000 or less. I discard my entire hand and summon Malladus, Demon King (ATK: 5000)!" Then, a large blue demon with swirled yellow horns appeared on the field. "Attack that Mobius!" Stacey gasped as her monster was destroyed (LP: 4000 – 1380). "Go."

"I summon a monster in defense mode and lay a card face down." Stacey said. "Next, I play Fissure to destroy Revival Jam! And since he wasn't destroyed in battle, he can't return!"

"I still have my Demon King… Attack!" Strings said. "Now, go."

"I play Premature Burial (LP: 2620 – 800) to revive Kabazauls, but he won't be around long, because I'm sacrificing him to summon Morpha, Giant Aquatic Amoeba (ATK: 1430)." Stacey smiled, as pillar of water rose out of Lake Hylia. Inside it was a red amoeba. "Go." 

"Demon King, wipe out Morpha!" Strings commanded.

"Sorry, but Morpha can't be destroyed by spells, traps, monster effects or in battle." Stacey said with a smile.

"I end my turn." Strings angrily said.

"I activate Swords of Revealing Light!" Stacey said. "Go."

"I pass." Strings said.

"As do I." Stacey said.

"I lay a card face down." Strings said. "Go."

"I pass again." Stacey said.

"I pass one final time." Strings said. "Your swords now wear off."

"I play Graceful Charity to draw three cards…" Stacey said. "As long as I discard…" She looked at her hand and gasped. _I never put that in my deck…_ The spirit of a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy in a green hat and tunic appeared next to Stacey.

"_That card has appeared in your deck because of the courage in your heart, Stacey… Use that card to defeat Strings and the Demon King…"_ The boy said.

_Are you… the Hero of Time?_ Stacey asked.

"_Yes… My name is Link… I live within that amulet around your neck…"_ Link said, pointing to the gold, triangular amulet around Stacey's neck, set with triangular stones of amethyst, topaz and amber.

"I play Call of the Haunted to revive Kabazauls again… This time I sacrifice him and Morpha to summon myself… Stacey, Sage to the Water Temple (ATK: 4010)." Stacey said, as she stepped onto the field. "Next, I activate Water Temple, so your Umiiruka field spell is destroyed, but thanks to my field spell, I gain a 500 point boost, so my points don't change (ATK: 4010)."

"You're still not strong enough to damage my life points." Strings laughed.

"I'm not done…" Stacey said. "Thanks to my effect, I gain 700 points for having Water Temple on the field (ATK: 4710). And, finally, I activate Water Medallion and Sacred Blade of the Fallen Sage!"

"What do those do?" Strings asked.

"They give me another power boost!" Stacey said. "One that will finish this duel (ATK: 6310)!"

"Oh no!" Strings exclaimed.

"Finally… I play Spirit Pipes!" Stacey exclaimed. "Because of this, the Demon King is destroyed!"

"Impossible!" Strings exclaimed.

"And now, I attack!" Stacey exclaimed, launching an attack that wiped out Strings (LP: 0).

"I… I can't lose…" Strings said.

"Hand over that Demon King card, your Locator Card, and get out of my sight!" Stacey said. Strings dropped his cards and ran off.

_I better get these cards to CJ…_ Stacey thought.


	10. Temple of the Kings

**CHAPTER TEN: Temple of the Kings**

CJ stood face to face with the Neo Ghoul in Kakariko Graveyard.

"I activate Temple of the Kings!" The Ghoul said, as an Egyptian temple appeared behind him.

"I knew it!" CJ exclaimed. "Odion! Why are you working for the Ghouls?"

"That's none of your concern!" The Ghoul said, removing his hood. He had tanned skin, black hair that was tied into a long ponytail, green eyes, and one side of his face was tattooed with hieroglyphs.

"I activate two spells… Cup of Sealed Soul and Seal of Serket!" Odion exclaimed. Then a large red scorpion-like monster appeared on his field. "I summon Mystical Beast of Serket (ATK: 2500)! And being a dark monster, it gains a power bonus from the graveyard (ATK: 3250)!"

_That's not good…_ CJ thought.

"Attack that White Dragon!" Odion said. CJ gasped as his monster was destroyed (LP: 3200 – 250). "Go."

"I play Swords of Revealing Light!" CJ said. "Now, you can't attack for three turns! Go."

"I take a monster from my hand and hide it inside my Temple of the Kings!" Odion said. "Now, when the time is right, I'll unleash it and destroy you! Your move."

"I play A Feather of the Phoenix!" CJ said. "I discard a card to take one from my graveyard and place it atop my deck. Now, it's your turn."

"I pass." Odion said.

"I activate Premature Burial (LP: 2950 – 800) to revive my Dark Magician (ATK: 3250)!" CJ said, summoning a blue haired mage in a purple robe. "Go."

"I activate my Swords of Revealing Light!" Odion said. "And I end my turn."

"I pass." CJ said.

"I sacrifice my Mystical Beast of Serket in order to special summon the card I locked in the Temple of the Kings…" Odion said. CJ gasped as a skeletal version of Obelisk the Tormentor appeared on Odion's field. "I summon The Wicked Dreadroot (ATK: 4000)!"

"You thief!" CJ exclaimed. "That card was locked away in Industrial Illusions!"

"Bandit Keith obtained it for me… That's why I joined the Ghouls!" Odion said. "Dreadroot, attack!"

"Reveal trap: Negate Attack!" CJ exclaimed.

"I end my turn." Odion said.

"I equip Dark Magician with Mist Body, meaning it can't be destroyed in battle." CJ said. "Next, I switch it to defense mode (DEF: 1365). Your move."

"I pass." Odion said.

"I pass as well." CJ said. _As long as Dark Magician is equipped with Mist Body, he's safe…_

"I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Premature Burial!" Odion said.

"I play my own Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy yours!" CJ said.

"I end my turn…" Odion said.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Stacey walked along the Great Bridge of Hylia, looking at the cards she had just obtained in her duel.

_This Demon King is powerful… How did a Neo Ghoul like Strings get ahold of something like that?_ Stacey wondered.

"_I'm not sure… But I doubt it was through good methods…"_ Link said, as his spirit appeared next to Stacey.

_Considering he's a Neo Ghoul, you might be right…_ Stacey thought. _I should get these cards to CJ and see what he says…_

"_I doubt the Neo Ghouls got those cards through right methods." _Link said. _"That card is Malladus, the Ancient Demon King… Malladus is a beast that tried to destroy Hyrule centuries ago…"_

_Every card that CJ has made that has ties to Hyrule's past is locked away in his company, Industrial Illusions… Other than the Triforce Destiny Cards, of course…_ Stacey thought. _I'll bet the Neo Ghouls broke in and stole this card! And, if they stole this, what's to say they didn't steal other cards too?_

_**Back in Kakariko Graveyard…**_

"Make your move…" Odion said.

"I pass." CJ said.

"You're lucky that your spell card is protecting your magician…" Odion said. "I end my turn."

"I summon another defense monster." CJ said. "Go."

"Dreadroot, destroy that defense!" Odion exclaimed. CJ watched as his face down monster exploded. "Go."

"I'm not about to lose…" CJ said. "I play the spell card, Evil's Summoning Ritual!"

"Oh no!" Odion exclaimed.

_**Meanwhile…**_

As Stacey entered Hyrule Field, she looked out toward Kakariko and saw dark clouds gathering.

"_That can't be good…"_ Link said.

"CJ might be in trouble!" Stacey exclaimed.

_**In Kakariko Village…**_

Yugi and Tea gasped as lightning struck throughout the nearby graveyard.

"What's going on?" Tea asked.

"Someone might be in trouble!" Yugi said, as he and Tea ran toward the graveyard.

_**In the graveyard…**_

"I sacrifice the Winged Dragon of Ra from my hand to summon Ganondorf, the King of Evil (ATK: 5850)!" CJ said, as the legendary King of Evil appeared on the field. "And your Dreadroot's effect doesn't cut his attack in half."

"Oh no!" Odion exclaimed. Yugi and Tea then rushed into the graveyard.

"Is that Odion?" Yugi asked.

"What's that monster on his field?" Tea asked. "And why is he dressed like a Rare Hunter?"

"They call themselves the Neo Ghouls now." CJ said. "And they're run by Bandit Keith."

"What? Then, why is Odion part of their group?" Yugi asked.

"The powerful cards." CJ said. It was then that a flash of green light filled the area and Stacey appeared near Yugi.

"What's going on?" Stacey asked.

"CJ's dueling a Neo Ghoul… Odion." Yugi said.

"What's that monster?" Stacey asked.

"The Wicked Dreadroot." CJ said. "A card that the Neo Ghouls stole from my company. And, Odion's about to pay for it. King of Evil, attack the Wicked Dreadroot!" Odion gasped as his monster exploded (LP: 4000 – 1850). "Now, Dark Magician (ATK: 3250), finish this duel!"

"No!" Odion exclaimed as CJ's monster attacked him (LP: 0), ending the duel.

"Now, hand over that Wicked Dreadroot and your Locator Card." CJ said, walking over to Odion.

"Here…" Odion said, handing over his cards and walking away.

"We're outta here, guys." Yugi said.

"Catch ya later, Yug." CJ said.

"So, the Neo Ghouls _did_ steal more cards…" She said.

"What do you mean, 'more cards'?" CJ asked. Stacey held up the Demon King cards.

"I dueled Strings at Lake Hylia, and he used this against me." Stacey said.

"Malladus… That card, and the Wicked Dreadroot, were both locked away at Industrial Illusions…" CJ said. "We need to get back to my company in Castle Town."

_**A short time later…**_

CJ and Stacey walked into the vault at Industrial Illusions.

"Sir, we've been trying to contact you all day…" A guard said. "The Demon King cards and the Wicked Dreadroot were stolen from the vault."

"Anything else taken?" CJ asked.

"No. We did a full inventory, and other than that, nothing was taken." The guard said. CJ held out the cards.

"Good. Stacey and I managed to recover the stolen cards." CJ said.

"How did you know?" The guard asked.

"We didn't." CJ said. "We found them by sheer luck."

_AUTHOR's NOTE: When I wrote this chapter, I wasn't aware that "Temple of the Kings" isn't a field spell and that "Mystical Beast of Serket" is an Earth-attribute monster, not a Dark-attribute. I would've gone back and changed it, but even that small change could disrupt the entire flow of the duel._


	11. The Tombkeeper's Challenge

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: The Tombkeeper's Challenge**

"That was some duel between CJ and Odion, huh?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah." Tea said. "Why do you think that Odion joined the Neo Ghouls?"

"He's turned away from my family and gone in a search for power…" A new voice said. Yugi and Tea turned and saw a young man with tanned skin, spiked grayish-white hair and bluish-purple eyes, wearing a black muscle shirt and tan pants.

"Marik… Hi…" Tea said to the young man.

"What do mean, he's turned away from you?" Yugi asked.

"For some reason, he's turned on our family and joined the Ghouls." The young man, Marik Ishtar, said. "He said something about wanting the Egyptian gods… I fear something may have possessed his body…"

"Well… We'll do what we can to help him…" Yugi said.

"No… It's okay." Marik said. "I'll take care of it. But, there is one thing I'd like to ask of you…"

"Sure, what is it?" Yugi asked.

"I'd like a rematch… A fair one this time." Marik said. "No Millennium Items… No powers of the Shadow Realm… A duel with the real Marik Ishtar…"

"I'd love to." Yugi said. "I discard a card to Special Summon the Tricky (ATK: 2000)." Then, a jester-like monster in a blue cape and yellow-and-black bodysuit appeared on the field. "Next, I play Swords of Revealing Light, stopping your attacks for three turns."

"I activate Swords of Revealing Light to stop your attacks as well." Marik said. "Next, I play Vengeful Bog Spirit! Now, monsters can't attack in the same turn that they're summoned. Go."

"I sacrifice the Tricky to summon Dark Magician Girl (ATK: 2000)!" Yugi said, summoning a blond haired, female mage in a blue top, blue hat, and pink skirt. "And, she gains 300 points for the Dark Magician in the graveyard (ATK: 2300). Your move."

"I activate Meteor of Destruction!" Marik exclaimed, as a flaming meteor appeared in the sky above the duel. It then plummeted to the ground, striking Yugi (LP: 4000 – 1000). "Your move."

"I lay a card face down." Yugi said. "Go."

"I summon Archfiend Soldier (DEF: 1500)." Marik said, summoning a purple fiend in a green cape. "Go."

"I lay another card face down." Yugi said. "Go."

"I activate Hinotama!" Marik said, as a meteor shower rained down on Yugi (LP: 3000 – 500). "Your move."

"Dark Magician Girl, attack!" Yugi commanded. Marik watched as his monster exploded. "I end my turn, Marik."

"I play Magical Stone Excavation!" Marik said. "I discard two cards to add a spell card from my graveyard to my hand, and I'll play that spell… Swords of Revealing Light!"

"Not again…" Yugi said.

"I end my turn." Marik said.

"I pass." Yugi said.

"I summon Newdoria (DEF: 800)." Marik said, summoning a zombie-like monster in black armor and green pants. "Go."

"I summon King's Knight (ATK: 1600)." Yugi said, summoning a blond haired knight in orange armor.

"I play Curse of the Masked Beast!" Marik said. "I sacrifice Melchid the Four-Face Beast from my hand and Newdoria from my field to summon The Masked Beast (ATK: 3200)!" Then, a new beast appeared on Marik's field. It had an upper body like a human and a lower body that resembled a hideous beast. It had a red mask on its face and a grotesque purple mask on it waist. "But since Vengeful Bog Spirit prevents me from attacking, I end my turn."

"I sacrifice my two monsters to summon Gandora, the Dragon of Destruction!" Yugi exclaimed, as a large black dragon appeared on the field. "Now I pay half my life points (LP: 2500 – 1250) to destroy and removed from play every card on the field other than my dragon!" Marik gasped as his Masked Beast vanished. "And, my dragon gains 300 points for each card destroyed by this effect (ATK: 1500)! Gandora, attack!" Marik stumbled as Yugi's dragon launched its attack (LP: 4000 – 1500). "I end my turn by laying one card face down, and Gandora is destroyed."

"I summon Lord Poison (ATK: 1500)." Marik said, summoning a zombie-like plant monster. "Attack!"

"Activate trap: Mirror Force!" Yugi said. "Now, your monster is destroyed."

"I end my turn." Marik said. "Go."

"I summon a monster in defense mode." Yugi said. "Go."

"I lay a card face down." Marik said. "Go."

"I play Monster Reborn to revive the monster I discarded to summon the Tricky… Dark Magician (ATK: 2500)!" Yugi said, as his famous mage took to the field. "Dark Magician, attack Marik directly with Dark Magic Attack!"

"I play Call of the Haunted to revive Newdoria (ATK: 1200)!" Marik said, as his monster appeared to save him (LP: 2500 – 1300). "And when he's destroyed in battle, I can destroy one monster on the field, so say goodbye to Dark Magician!"

"I flip summon Giant Soldier of Stone (ATK: 1300)!" Yugi said, as a stone soldier appeared on his field. "Attack Marik and end this duel!" Marik gasped as the stone soldier drew its sword and attacked him (LP: 0).

"Wow… that was quite a duel, Yugi." Marik said. "Here… My Locator Card and my Masked Beast."

"I don't need your Masked Beast, Marik." Yugi said. "I'll just take your Locator Card."

"Good luck in the rest of the tournament." Marik said.

"Thanks." Yugi said.

_**Meanwhile…**_

CJ and Stacey stood in Castle Town, each dueling a different opponent.

"Just try to beat my Vampire Genesis!" Stacey's opponent said.

"Gladly!" Stacey said, drawing a card. "I sacrifice my two defense monsters to summon Stacey, Sage to the Water Temple (ATK: 2700)!" Stacey stepped onto the field and smiled.

"Ha! That can't beat my Vampire." Her opponent laughed.

"When I add this equip spell, I can." Stacey said. "Sacred Blade of the Fallen Sage (ATK: 3700)!"

"Oh no!"

"It's over!" Stacey said, as she cut the boy's monster in half, ending her duel.

"Dang… Here… My Vampire Genesis and my Locator Cards." The boy said. Stacey pushed the card back.

"I don't need it." She said. "I only use Water monsters in my deck."

Meanwhile, CJ was smirking at his opponent, a blond-haired, green-eyed girl about the age of 15. She wore a blue button up shirt, blue plaid skirt, pink jacket and glasses. On the girl's field was a green dragon with diamonds on its back.

"Can you beat my Emerald Dragon (ATK: 2400)?" The girl asked.

"With ease, Rebecca…" CJ smiled. "I play Premature Burial (LP: 850 – 800) to Special Summon the card you gave me as a sign of our friendship… the Blue Eyes White Dragon (ATK: 3000)!" It was then that an elderly man in a tan suit, with gray hair and green eyes walked over to Stacey.

"CJ's quite the talented duelist, isn't he?" The man said.

"Yeah." Stacey said. She looked at who she was talking to. "Whoa! You're Professor Arthur Hawkins!"

"Yes I am." The man said. "And my granddaughter is dueling quite well against CJ."

"Yeah, but her Emerald Dragon can't stand up to his Blue Eyes." Stacey said.

"Blue Eyes, attack Rebecca's Emerald Dragon and bring an end to this duel!" CJ said. "White Lightning!" Rebecca watched as her dragon was destroyed (LP: 0) and the duel came to an end.

"Nice duel, CJ." Rebecca said, holding out her Locator Cards and Emerald Dragon.

"Keep your dragon." CJ said. "I already have the Blue Eyes White Dragon."

"Thanks." Rebecca said.

"Take care of yourself, Becca." CJ said.

"You too." Rebecca smiled. She and Arthur then walked away.

"Wow… How'd you two become such good friends?" Stacey asked.

"Professor Hawkins was my archaeological director for all of the Industrial Illusions projects here in Hyrule and all over Corneria…" CJ said. "Through working with him, I became friends with Rebecca, and after a while, while Arthur and his team would search for stone carvings and tablets, Rebecca and I would duel. After one of the projects, Rebecca gave me her Blue Eyes White Dragon as a symbol of our friendship."

"That's pretty cool." Stacey said.

"Oh yeah." CJ said. "So, we've got all our Locator Cards… Wanna just wait for everyone else?"

"We did say we'd all meet here when we all got our Locator Cards." Stacey said.

"Ok then, let's head back to the castle." CJ said. They soon arrived in the castle courtyard where Shaylene sat on the castle's steps.

"Hey, Shaylene." Stacey said.

"Is something wrong?" CJ asked. "Why aren't you out dueling?"

"I got beat." Shaylene said.

"By who?" CJ asked.

"Jacob." Shaylene said.

"You're friend from school?" CJ asked.

"Yeah." Shaylene said. "He took my only Locator Card, but I didn't lose my rarest card, which is kinda nice."

"That's funny. I just dueled him in the town square and took his Locator Cards." Stacey said. "CJ and I have enough to go to the finals."

"Whoa! Awesome, where are they?" Shaylene asked, excited to see her friends duel.

"Let's find out." CJ said.


	12. The King of Twilight

**CHAPTER TWELVE: The King of Twilight**

Mike and Sarah walked across Gerudo Desert.

"That was a great duel, sweets." Mike said.

"Thanks." Sarah said. "It's hilarious that Rex thought he'd get a power boost from the Arbiter's Grounds."

"Yeah, just a bit." Mike said. Suddenly, a cloaked duelist appeared before the two.

"Sarah, Sage of Spirit… Mike, Sage of the Forest…" The duelist said. "I challenge you to a duel…"

"Both of us?" Mike asked.

"No… Only the Sage of Spirit…" The duelist said.

"Fine, let's duel!" Sarah said, stepping forward and activating her Duel Disk. "And, I'll start… I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Next, I summon Arcana Force VII – The Chariot (ATK: 1700)." Then, a black, machine-like alien monster with several arms appeared on the field and a card appeared above Sarah and began spinning. "Just tell my card when to stop."

"Stop…" The mystery duelist said, as the card stopped right-side up.

"Good. Now when my Chariot destroys one of your monsters in battle, I can Special Summon that monster to my side of the field." Sarah said. "Then, I'll end my turn with a face down card."

"I summon Getsu Fuhma (ATK: 1700)." The mystery duelist said.

"Tell me… What's your name?" Sarah asked.

"Just call me… the Dark King." The duelist said.

"Is that it for your move?" Sarah asked.

"I place two cards face down." The Dark King said. "Go."

"I summon Arcana Force IV – The Emperor (ATK: 1400)." Sarah said, summoning another alien monster with wings and several clawed arms. Another card appeared above Sarah and began spinning. "You know the drill."

"Stop…" The King said.

"Right side up again… Now, all my Arcana Force monsters gain 500 points." Sarah smiled as her monsters gained a power boost (ATK: 1900) (ATK: 2200). "Next, I equip my Chariot with Cestus of Dagla (ATK: 2700). Chariot, attack!"

"Activate trap: Sakuretsu Armor!" The Dark King said. "Now, your monster is destroyed."

"Emperor, attack!" Sarah exclaimed. The Dark King stood there as his monster was destroyed by the Emperor (LP: 4000 – 200). "Go."

"I play Monster Reborn to revive Getsu Fuhma, who I'll sacrifice to summon Twilight Messenger (ATK: 2300)!" The Dark King said, as a black beast took to the field. It walked on its hands and feet, had red markings on its chest, and wore a large stone mask. "Next, I play the field spell, Arbiter's Grounds!" Suddenly, the three were transported to the Mirror Chamber within the Arbiter's Grounds. "Now, all monsters with 'Twilight' in their name gain 400 attack points (ATK: 2700). Messenger, attack!"

"Oh no!" Sarah gasped as her monster was blown apart (LP: 4000 – 800).

"I end my turn." The Dark King said.

"I activate Ray of Hope to add two light monsters from my graveyard to my deck." Sarah said. "And then I can shuffle my deck… And since I can't do anything else, I end my turn."

"Twilight Messenger, attack!" The Dark King said. Sarah cried out in pain as the Messenger slashed her and an energy stream shot out of her (LP: 3200 – 2700).

"Sarah!" Mike exclaimed.

"I'm… okay…" Sarah said. "That attack just… drained me somehow…" Meanwhile, Kotake and Koume stood on the walls of the Arbiter's Grounds, watching the duel.

"He's doing well… Her pain is lighting the Flames…" Kotake said.

"And thanks to CJ, and what he nearly did to Kaiba, the Flame of Destruction is already lit." Koume said.

"Yes, we need only worry about the Flames of Sorrow and Despair." Kotake said.

"And by the way we've been dueling…" Koume said.

"And the souls we've absorbed…" Kotake said.

"The other two flames shall be lit in no time." Koume said.

"And when we sacrifice the Queen in front of CJ, and revive Ganon… The King's hope shall crumble and Hyrule will fall into our hands." Kotake said.

Back in the duel, the Dark King smirked at the sight of Sarah on her knees, clutching her abdomen in pain.

"I end my turn." He said.

"I summon Arcana Force III – The Empress (DEF: 1300)." Sarah said, summoning a gray alien creature in blue armor. A monster card appeared above her head and began to spin.

"Stop!" The Dark King said.

"Oh no, it's upside down!" Sarah exclaimed. "Now every time you summon a monster, I have to discard a card from my hand…" _But thankfully I have my trap card…_

"Messenger, wipe out that Empress!" Sarah gasped as her monster exploded. "Your move."

Sarah drew a card. _Oh no… I… I can't win…_ _I have nothing to play… Once I end my turn, it's all over… _"I… I end my turn…"

"Twilight Messenger, attack!" Sarah gasped as the Dark King's monster rushed toward her and was stopped by a green barrier.

"What happened?" Sarah asked (LP: 0). She then looked and saw Mike standing there, hands glowing green.

"I defended you…" Mike said. "I can sense something in your opponent… That monster is real… You still lost the duel, but that monster's attack could've killed you."

"Wow… thanks for the save, Mike." Sarah said.

"You're welcome." Mike said. He turned to the Dark King. "Now, it's my turn to duel, so let's go!"

"Fine, you're on!" The Dark King said.

"I'll start!" Mike said. "I summon Hedge Guard (DEF: 2100) and lay two cards face down." Then, a wall of shrubs appeared on Mike's field. In front of it were a group of snake like branches. "Your move."

"I summon Getsu Fuhma (ATK: 1700) and lay a card face down." The Dark King said, summoning his red-haired warrior. "Now make your move."

"I pass." Mike said. "Go."

"Here's a familiar move… I sacrifice Getsu Fuhma to summon Twilight Messenger (ATK: 2300) and activate the field spell, Arbiter's Grounds!" The Dark King said, as his black beast appeared on the field.

"That's the same combo he used on me!" Sarah said.

"I know." Mike said.

"Now, my beast gets a power boost (ATK: 2700)." The Dark King said. "Attack!" Sarah and Mike watched as Mike's monster exploded. "Go."

"I summon Dark Verger (DEF: 1000)." Mike said, summoning a small plant with two leaves and one eye on each leaf. "Next, I lay a card face down. Go."

"I play Monster Reborn to revive Getsu Fuhma!" The Dark King said. "Now, I sacrifice Twilight Messenger and Getsu Fuhma to unleash my true form!" The two monsters vanished and their energies flew into the Dark King. He stepped forward and his cloak vanished. He wore a long black cloak, bluish-gray, stone-like shoulder pads, and a steel mask resembling a chameleon's head. "Meet Zant, Usurper King (ATK: 2500)!"

"Who is that?" Sarah exclaimed.

"I… am your ultimate NIGHTMARE!" Zant exclaimed, as dark clouds gathered over the Arbiter's Grounds and lightning began to strike.


	13. The Truth is Revealed

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: The Truth is Revealed**

"Who is that?" Sarah exclaimed, as Zant appeared before them. Suddenly, lightning struck in front of the Sarah and Mike, and Kotake and Koume appeared before them.

"That is Zant, the Ancient King of the Twilight Realm…" Kotake said. "And we are Twinrova, Gerudo witches!"

"And once this tournament is done, and we sacrifice the King and Queen, we will revive the great Evil King!" Koume said.

"Once the land is bathed in Sorrow, Destruction and Despair, and the three Flames are lit, we will begin the Evil's Summoning Ritual and bring back Ganon!" Kotake said.

"You two are next!" Mike said, turning back to Zant. "Make your move."

"I attack!" Zant exclaimed.

"Activate trap!" Mike said. "Sakuretsu Armor! And, I infuse the trap card with my Sage Power, ending this duel here and now!"

"What?" Zant exclaimed, as he was knocked back, bursting into black smoke.

"You may have taken down Zant, but you don't stand a chance against us!" Kotake said, as she and Koume activated their Duel Disks.

"You're on!" Mike said.

"Let's do this!" Sarah said.

"Meet us at the Spirit Temple and your demise will begin… Ah ha ha ha haa!" Kotake exclaimed, as the witches vanished. Mike walked over to where Zant was standing and found three cards.

"CJ might want to see these…" He said, picking them up.

"What are those?" Sarah asked.

"I'm not really sure…" Mike said. "But that weirdo dropped them. I have a feeling they might be important."

A short time later, Mike and Sarah walked up to a tall stone structure in the western part of the Gerudo Desert. It resembled a Gerudo woman sitting on a throne. At the base of the structure was a doorway.

"There it is… The Spirit Temple." Sarah said. She and Mike walked in and soon found themselves in the temple's innermost chamber. Kotake and Koume appeared in front of them, smiling.

"It's time… Time to meet your end!" Kotake said.

"Let the duel begin!" Koume exclaimed.

"What are the rules to this tag match?" Sarah asked.

"You will take your turns together, as will Koume and I." Kotake said.

"Each team will have 8000 life points." Koume said. "And when your life points hit zero, we will offer your souls to feed Ganon's spirit."

"We'll start." Sarah said. "I lay one card face down."

"I summon Hedge Guard (DEF: 2100)." Mike said, summoning a red shrub covered in snake-like branches. "Next, I lay two cards face down. Your move."

"I lay a card face down and summon Flamvell Guard (DEF: 2000)." Koume said, summoning a blue dragon with a red back that was covered in flames.

"I summon Bulblin (DEF: 1100)." Kotake said, summoning a small green creature that was dressed like a bandit. It carried a club and had a quiver at its back. "Go."

"I play Gravekeeper's Servant." Sarah said. "Now, when you want to attack, you have to discard the top card on your deck."

"I pass." Mike said.

"I summon a second Flamvell Guard (DEF: 2000)." Koume said, as her dragon doubled.

"I sacrifice Bulblin to summon Bitelon (ATK: 2400)." Kotake said, as her bandit vanished and was replaced by a one-eyed purple snake-like creature.

"Activate trap: Trap Hole!" Sarah said. "Thanks to this trap, you monster is destroyed."

"You'll pay for that…" Kotake said. "Go."

"I summon Arcana Force III – The Empress (ATK: 1300)." Sarah said, summoning a gray alien creature in blue armor. A card appeared above her and began to spin. "Tell it when to stop…"

"Stop." Koume said, as the card stopped right side up.

"Good. Now when you summon a monster, I can summon an Arcana Force monster from my hand." Sarah said.

"I pass." Mike said.

"I summon Abaki (ATK: 1700)." Koume said, summoning a red fiend carrying a club.

"Good. Now I can summon Arcana Force IV – The Emperor (ATK: 1400)." Sarah said, summoning a gray, machine-like alien monster with several hose-like arms. A card appeared above her and began to turn. "Stop it whenever you're ready."

"Stop!" Kotake exclaimed, as the card landed right side up and Sarah smirked.

"Now, all my Arcana Force monsters gain 500 attack points (ATK: 1800)(ATK: 1900)." Sarah said.

"I summon ReDead (DEF: 0)." Kotake said, summoning a zombie-like monster. "And I lay a card face down. Go."

"I sacrifice my two Arcana Force monsters to summon Sarah, Sage of Spirit (ATK: 2750)." Sarah drew her two scimitars and stepped onto the field. "And since we're in the Spirit Temple, I gain a field power bonus (ATK:

"I summon Mystic Tomato (DEF: 1100) and activate the World Tree." Mike said. "Now, when a Plant monster on my field is destroyed, my tree will gain a Flower Counter. And depending how many Flower Counters I remove from the card, I can activate different effects to devastate you."

"Finally, I attack Abaki." Sarah said, as she sliced Abaki in half, cutting Twinrova's life points (LP: 8000 – 1875). "Go."

"I lay a card face down and summon Bokoblin (DEF: 1000)." Kotake said, summoning a goblin with gray hair tied into a ponytail and carrying a sword.

"And I pass." Koume said.

"I summon Arcana Force IV – The Emperor (ATK: 1400) and use my ability to pay 1000 life points (LP: 8000 – 1000), summoning the one from my graveyard (ATK: 1400)." Sarah said, as her two Emperors appeared on the field. Both cards then began spinning.

"Stop!" Koume shouted.

"Stop!" Kotake said. One card stopped right side up, while the other was upside down.

"Well, their effects negate each other, so their attack remains the same (ATK: 1400 [x2])." Sarah said. "But they'll still wipe out your Bokoblin and ReDead, Kotake…" Both Emperor then destroyed Kotake's monsters, leaving her open to a direct attack.

"I sacrifice my two monsters to summon Mike, Sage of the Forest (ATK: 2600)." Mike said, as he pulled a hilt out of a pouch on his waist. Vines then emerged from the hilt and combined to make the sword's blade. "Next, I activate the Forest Temple field spell (ATK: 3300). Unfortunately, Sarah loses her power boost (ATK: 2750)."

"Sorry but I'm gonna negate your summoning, Mike, with my Bottomless Trap Hole!" Kotake said.

"Not quite…" Mike said (LP: 7000 – 1000). "Because I activated Seven Tools of the Bandit."

"Now… the two of us are free to destroy your defenses, Koume." Sarah said, as the two Sages wiped out Koume's Flamvell Guards. "Go."

The sisters drew their cards and looked at each other.

"Well, I think we'll follow your move…" Kotake said, as she laid a card on her Duel Disk. She then climbed onto her broom and floated over to the field. "I summon Kotake, Master of Ice (ATK: 1600)."

Koume then did the same. "And I summon Koume, Master of Fire (ATK: 1700)." She said.

"A lot of good that does…" Sarah said. "Your cards are pathetic."

"We're not done yet…" Koume said. "I sacrifice myself…"

"And I sacrifice myself…" Kotake said. Suddenly the two witches were enveloped in a white light. When it vanished, a new woman stood in their place. She wore desert style clothing, being a Gerudo, and had hair that spiked out on both sides into large pigtails: one made of fire and the other made of ice. In her hands were two staffs: one of fire and one of ice.

"To summon Twinrova, Sorceress Sisters (ATK: 3000)." Kotake's and Koume's voices echoed in unison. "We are one now… You will fall at the hands of Twinrova. We use the power of Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Forest Temple!"

"And now being back in the Spirit Temple, I gain a power boost (ATK: 3575)." Sarah said.

"So do we..." Twinrova said, as she was covered by fire and ice (ATK: 3900). "Say goodnight, Sage of Spirit!" Suddenly, Sarah's hand began to glow.

"I activate the Gerudo's Mirror Shield trap card." Sarah said.

"You can't play a trap from your hand!" Twinrova said.

"This one I can, since your face up on the field!" Sarah said, as a red shield appeared in her hand. The front of it was shiny and bore a picture of a crescent moon. "Thanks to this, I can negate your attacks and you get stuck with an Element Counter (EC: 1)."

"We end our turn." Twinrova said.

"I sacrifice my two monsters to summon Ancient Sage of Spirit (ATK: 3250)." Sarah said, as a glowing spirit in a long white robe marked with the seal of the Sage of Spirit appeared on the field. "Sage of Spirit, attack Twinrova!"

"And I'll attack as well." Mike said.

"Since we called attacks, your forced to attack back." Sarah said, as Twinrova raised her staffs and shot a fireball at Mike and an ice ball at the Ancient Sage. Sarah dashed in front of both of them, catching the attacks with her shield. It then began to glow. "And my shield negates both attack and sticks you with two more counters (EC: 3)."

"Big deal…" Twinrova said.

"It's a very big deal." Sarah said. "Since you're marked with three Element Counters, you're automatically destroyed!"

"Oh no!" Twinrova exclaimed. Sarah fired a beam of fire and ice energy from her shield, striking Twinrova to the ground. She then rushed forward, ready to strike with her sword.

"Time to deliver the final blow!" She exclaimed.

"This isn't over!" Twinrova shouted, before vanishing. In her place sat 12 Locator Cards.

"Well isn't this nice." Mike said, picking up the Locator Cards and handing 6 of them to Sarah. "It looks like we're in the finals."


	14. Let the Finals Begin

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Let the Finals Begin!**

CJ and Stacey stood in Hyrule Castle courtyard. Nearby, on the castle steps, sat Shaylene.

"So, who else do you think is gonna make it to the finals?" Stacey wondered.

"I don't know." CJ said. It was then that Tristan and Serenity walked into the courtyard.

"We're out." Tristan said. "We lost our Locator Cards."

"Both of you?" CJ asked.

"Yeah." Serenity said. "We kept winning tag duel after tag duel, until these duelists who called themselves the Master Mothers beat us."

"They even said something about taking our souls." Tristan said. "But Serenity's Sage powers were able to defend us from their weird magic."

"That's weird." CJ said. Joey and Mai then walked in.

"Guess who made it to da finals!" Joey said.

"Nice job, Joey." CJ said.

"You too, Mai?" Stacey asked.

"Of course." Mai smiled. Yugi and Tea soon arrived at the castle as well, followed by Mike and Sarah.

"Are we all in the finals?" CJ asked. 

"I made it." Yugi said.

"Me too." Mike said.

"Same here." Sarah said with a smile.

"Awesome." CJ said. "I already placed my Locator Cards on my Duel Disk. The finals are being held at the Hidden Village."

_**A short time later…**_

The group walked through a small cavern, into an old, rundown, Wild West style village. A sign at the entrance to the village read "Welcome to Kakariko".

"This is it." CJ said. "The Hidden Village."

"So, where are the finals happening?" Joey asked.

"Right in the village, Wheeler." Everyone turned and saw Kaiba standing there.

"I should've expected you'd be the eighth finalist." CJ said. "Back for more, huh?"

"Please." Kaiba said. "I can beat you with one hand tied behind my back." Kaiba said. "Follow me to the site of the finals." Kaiba then led everyone through the village and up a staircase built into the nearby cliffs. When they reached the top, they saw a small hotel.

"Whoa… Look at dis place…" Joey said.

"This is the Hotel Del Sheik." CJ said. "It's a small hotel that was built for tourists who come to Hyrule specifically to see the Hidden Village."

"It's where you'll be staying over the next few days for the finals." Kaiba said. "The duels themselves will take place over there." He pointed to two dueling platforms that had been built out from the cliffs surrounding the village. "Competitors will stand on opposite platforms over the village and duel."

"That's pretty cool." Stacey said. "We get to duel while looking down at the village."

"Now, let me explain how the finals are gonna work." Kaiba said. "Each of you has been assigned a number." He then handed a piece of paper to each finalist. "The numbers will be shuffled and paired up, setting up the duels." Two KaibaCorp grunts rolled out a machine from the nearby hotel that resembled the head of a Blue Eyes White Dragon. In its mouth was a glass orb filled with eight small balls marked with numbers 1 through 8. On either side were two claws, which doubled as openings for the balls to fall out of. Kaiba activated the machine and watched as the balls fell out two by two.

"The first duel will be Duelist #5: CJ Francis vs Duelist #8: Sarah Polito." Kaiba said.

_A battle of two Gerudo… This should be interesting…_ CJ thought.

_I have to face CJ? This might be it…_ Sarah thought.

"The second duel… Duelist #3: Mai Valentine vs Duelist #4: Stacey Francis." Kaiba said.

_Uh-oh… I don't know if I can win against Mai…_ Stacey thought.

_CJ's a nice guy. And Stacey's a sweet girl._ Mai thought. _But that doesn't mean I'm going easy on her._

"For the third duel…" Two more balls fells out. "Ah, good… A well-deserved rematch, Yugi." Kaiba said.

_I don't know about well-deserved, Kaiba… You still haven't changed much._ Yugi thought.

_That means I'm facing Joey._ Mike thought.

_Sage of da Forest against da Sage of Earth? This could be an interesting duel._ Joey thought.

"Everyone head into the hotel and get yourselves some rooms. The dueling will begin tomorrow." Kaiba said. Everyone was soon settled into the hotel.

_**In Yugi's room…**_

"You ready for your rematch with Kaiba?" Tea asked.

"Of course." Yugi said. "I've always been ready for another rematch with Kaiba. He seemed to have been changing for the better back in Egypt when Atem and I had our final duel, but after seeing some of the stuff I've seen since then, I'm not so sure. I may be ready, but I'm not sure he is."

"But you still have to duel him." Tea said.

"Well, yeah." Yugi said. "But I want to duel him when his heart is in the right place. Then I can really enjoy the duel."

_**In Joey & Mai's room…**_

"So, a face-off with Mike." Mai said. "Not bad, Joey. But if you make it to the final four, I'm gonna crush you."

" Whaddya mean 'if I make it'?" Joey said. "I'm totally gonna make it. I'm da best there ever was, and don't you forget it! You should be more worried about yourself."

"Me?" Mai asked. "Joey hun, I'm a champion duelist. My Harpies and I will have no trouble winning against Stacey."

_**In Serenity & Tristan's room…**_

"I still can't believe we got knocked out of the tournament." Tristan said. "And what was up with those Master Mothers… or whatever they called themselves?"

"And those cards were powerful." Serenity said. "What were they again?"

"Um… Something about the Sorceress of Shadows and the General of Darkness or something like that…" Tristan said. "And that soul stealing talk was freaky… I'm glad your Sage powers were able to defend us."

"Me too." Serenity said.

_**In Sarah & Mike's room…**_

"You nervous about tomorrow's duel?" Mike asked.

"A little." Sarah said. "I mean, I knew if we made it to the finals, there was a chance I'd have to face CJ at some point. Besides, this is a great way for the teacher to test the student."

"That's a good point." Mike said. "Wait a sec! Speaking of CJ, we need to show him those cards!"

"Oh yeah!"

_**In CJ & Stacey's room…**_

"CJ… I don't know if I can win against Mai." Stacey said.

"Of course you can win." CJ said, holding Stacey close. "Just have faith in yourself and your deck. And remember, Mai's deck focuses on powering up her Harpie Lady. If you can keep her spells and traps at bay, you can win."

"Are you sure?" Stacey asked.

"Absolutely." CJ said. "Mai's a strong duelist, but so are you. You took down Mako Tsunami, Bandit Keith and Seeker… And those last two cheat to win."

"You're right." Stacey said. "I can win. Thanks, hun."

"You're welcome, my angel." CJ said, kissing Stacey. The two then heard a knock at the door.

"It's me and Mike." Sarah said from the other side.

"Come on in." CJ said, as the two walked in.

Sarah looked at Stacey, who had one hand on CJ's leg and the other around his shoulder.

"Are we interrupting something?" She laughed.

"Not at all." CJ said, laughing a little. "What's up?"

"We thought you might want to see these." Mike said, handing CJ the three cards he found in the desert.

CJ looked at them. "Where did you find these?" He asked.

"In the Mirror Chamber." Mike said. "We dueled Zant, and when we defeated him, he dropped these."

"Zant's back?" CJ exclaimed.

"Yeah." Sarah said. "And after we defeated him, we were challenged by Twinrova."

"Please tell me that you're trying to screw with my head." CJ said.

"We're not." Sarah said.

"That's not good." CJ said. "Did Twinrova go by any other name when the dueled you?"

"No… Why?" Mike asked.

"I've been hearing rumors of a pair of tag team duelists in the tournament who have been using very powerful cards to defeat their opponents. They call themselves the Master Mothers, and supposedly, their opponents lose their souls when they're defeated." CJ said. "Tristan and Serenity dueled them." Tristan and Serenity then walked in.

"The only thing that saved us is Serenity's sage powers." Tristan said.

"Twinrova did say something about using our souls to feed Ganon's spirit." Sarah said.

"Oh no… Just as I thought… Twinrova is seeking to trigger the Evil's Summoning Ritual again." CJ said.

"We came here to tell you something, CJ." Tristan said. "The Master Mothers used two very powerful cards to beat us… something, the Sorceress of something and something else, the General of, uh, Destruction… or something like that."

"You don't mean Veran, the Sorceress of Shadows and Onox, the General of Darkness, do you?" CJ asked.

"Yeah, that was it." Serenity said.

"Oh no… Twinrova are using the power of Onox and Veran to light the Flames of Destruction, Sorrow and Despair." CJ said. "From their actions on the dueling field, I'm sure they've already lit the flame of Sorrow."

"When they dueled us and used Onox and Veran, their attacks seemed real." Serenity said. "They almost caused an avalanche on Snowpeak."

"And when we dueled Zant, I felt pain when he attacked me." Sarah said.

"Me too." Mike said. "Same thing when we dueled Twinrova."

"Then if they caused enough damage during their duels, the Flame of Destruction may already be lit as well." CJ said. "That means all that's left is the Flame of Despair." He looked at Stacey. "Do NOT, under any circumstances, leave my side unless you're dueling, Stacey."

"Why not?" Stacey asked.

"Because." CJ said. "The only way Twinrova can drive Hyrule into enough despair to light the Flame of Despair is by capturing either one of us. On top of that, they need to offer one of us as a sacrifice to complete the Evil's Summoning Ritual and revive the King of Evil."

"What do we do?" Stacey asked, clinging to CJ with fear in her eyes.

"There's not much we can do." CJ said. "Other than let the tournament run its course. They may not show their face until it's all over. Now, let's get some rest everyone… We could be in for a long day."


	15. Spirit VS Shadow: Battle of the Gerudo

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Spirit VS Shadow – Battle of the Gerudo**

When morning arrived, everyone gathered outside the hotel, eager to begin the finals.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Kaiba said. "For the first duel of the finals… Duelist #5: CJ vs Duelist #8: Sarah!" CJ and Sarah stepped onto opposite platforms.

"Ready to do this, Sarah?" CJ asked. "Let's see how much you've learned." 

"Let's duel." Sarah said.

"I'll begin." CJ said. "And I'll lay only a single card face down."

"I summon Gerudo Spear Guard (ATK: 1400)." Sarah said, summoning a red-haired, Gerudo woman in purple, desert-style clothing. In her hands was a spear. "Next, I equip my Spear Guard with Legendary Sword (ATK: 1700). Spear Guard, attack!" CJ stood there as the Gerudo Spear Guard hurled her spear across the village, striking him in the arm (LP: 4000 – 1700). "I end my turn."

"I summon Skilled Dark Magician (ATK: 1900)." CJ said, summoning a mage in a gold and blue robe. "Next, I equip it with Mist Body so it can't be destroyed in battle. Skilled Magician, attack Gerudo Spear Guard!" Sarah watched as her monster was blown apart by CJ's mage (LP: 4000 – 200). "And, since a Spell Card was played, my Skilled Dark Magician gains a spell counter (SC: 1). Your move."

"I summon Arcana Force III – The Empress (DEF: 1300)." Sarah said, summoning a female gray alien like monster in blue armor. "Next, I lay a card face down and end my turn."

"Skilled Dark Magician, attack The Empress!" CJ said, as his monster launched a magic attack that shattered Sarah's monster. "Your move."

"I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards." Sarah said, as CJ's monster gained another Spell Counter (SC: 2). "Next, I summon Arcana Force IV – The Emperor (ATK: 1400)." Then, a machine-like, gray alien monster with hose-like arms. The monster card appeared above Sarah and began to spin.

"Stop." CJ said, as the card stopped upside down. "It looks like your Emperor is weakened (ATK: 900)."

"Fine." Sarah said. "I lay a card face down and end my turn."

"Skilled Dark Magician, attack The Emperor!" CJ commanded. Sarah watched in disappointment as her monster was destroyed (LP: 3800 – 1000). "Your move."

"I activate Ray of Hope to add The Emperor and The Empress back to the deck and shuffle it." Sarah said. "Next, I summon Arcana Force VI – The Lovers (ATK: 1600) and equip it with Cestus of Dagla (ATK: 2100)." Then, a light gray alien monster appeared on Sarah's field. It had a dark gray part of its body that appeared to be a dress.

"There's a third spell counter (SC: 3)." CJ said. The card then began to spin. "Stop."

"Right side up. Now, this card counts as two tributes when summoning Arcana Force monsters. Arcana Force VI, attack!" Sarah said. CJ stood there as Sarah's monster attacked his magician (LP: 4000 – 200). "And thanks to my equip spell, I gain the life points you just lost (LP: 3000)

"Thanks to my equip spell, my Magician is safe." CJ said. "And it's my turn now. I sacrifice Skilled Dark Magician and its three Spell Counters to summon Dark Magician (ATK: 2500)." CJ smiled as a blue-haired mage in a purple robe appeared on the field, carrying a green staff. "Dark Magician, attack Arcana Force VI!" Sarah watched as her monster exploded (LP: 3000 – 400). "Now, I end my turn with a face down card."

"I pass." Sarah said.

"I play Premature Burial (LP: 3800 – 800) to revive Skilled Dark Magician (ATK: 1900) and end my turn." CJ said.

_Why didn't he attack me?_ Sarah wondered.

_Whoa… CJ didn't attack Sarah's life points… She was wide open to a direct attack…_ Stacey thought. _Wait… What if he's waiting for something?_

"I pass again." Sarah said.

"I sacrifice Skilled Dark Magician to revive Dark Magician Girl (ATK: 2000)." CJ said, summoning a blond-haired, female magician in a blue hat and top and pink skirt. "I end my turn."

"I play Monster Reincarnation." Sarah said. "I discard a card to add a monster from my graveyard to my hand. Next, I summon Arcana Force VI – The Lovers (DEF: 1600)." The card began spinning. CJ stopped it and it landed upside down. "Now I can't Tribute Summon any Arcana Force monsters. Next, I equip The Lovers with Magic Armor (DEF: 2000) and end my turn."

"I activate the field spell, Magical Citadel of Endymion!" CJ said, as the village transformed into a medieval style city, surrounded by a magical energy. In the center was a tall tower. "Next, I sue Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Magic Armor!"

"I use my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy yours!" Sarah said.

"And now my Magical Citadel gains two Spell Counters (SC: 2)." CJ said. "Dark Magician, attack Arcana Force VI!"

"I send Magic Armor back to my deck, sparing The Lovers (DEF: 1600)." Sarah said.

"Dark Magician Girl, attack." CJ said. Sarah watched as her monster was destroyed by the female mage. "I end my turn."

"I summon Arcana Force III – The Empress (DEF: 1300)." Sarah said, as her Empress returned and its card began to spin. CJ stopped it again, and it landed upside down.

"Good." CJ said. "Now when I summon a monster, you have to discard a card."

"I end my turn." Sarah said.

"I pass." CJ said.

"I equip The Empress with Magic Armor (DEF: 1700)." Sarah said.

"And my Citadel gets another Spell Counter (SC: 3)." CJ said.

"I end my turn." Sarah said.

"I lay a card face down." CJ said. "Dark Magician will attack The Empress, sending Magic Armor back to your deck. Next, Dark Magician Girl will attack, wiping out your monster. Your move."

"I lay a card face down." Sarah said.

"I lay a card face down as well." CJ said. "Go."

"I pass…" Sarah said.

"I lay a card face down." CJ said. "Go."

"I summon Arcana Force I – The Magician (DEF: 1100)." Sarah said, summoning a gray alien monster in a red cape and black shoulder pads. Its card appeared above it, stopped, and landed upside down. "Now, when a spell card is played, you gain 500 life points. Go."

"I activate Pitch-Black Power Stone and summon Skilled Dark Magician (ATK: 1900)." CJ said. "And my Power Stone gains 3 spell counters (SC: 3) which I can move one at a time from my stone (SC: 2) to another card on my field, and I choose my Citadel (SC: 4). Your move."

"I lay a card face down and end my turn." Sarah said.

"I move another counter to my Citadel (SC: 5) and end my turn." CJ said.

_Why isn't he attacking? _Stacey wondered. _Is he scared of Sarah's face down cards?_

_CJ must be waiting for something. But what?_ Yugi wondered. _Wait a minute! When Magical Citadel gets 6 Spell Counters, he can sacrifice them to summon a magician with 2700 attack points… He must be building high power sacrifices… He can only be planning to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra!_

"I play Smashing Ground, which means your Dark Magician is destroyed!" Sarah said.

_That's gonna cripple CJ's plans…_ Yugi thought.

"But my Citadel and my Skilled Magician gain a spell counter each (SC: 6)(SC: 1)." CJ said. "And I gain 500 life points (LP: 3500)."

"Go." Sarah said.

"I move my Stone's final counter to Skilled Dark Magician (SC: 2)." CJ said. "Next, I play Dark Magic Curtain and pay half my life points (LP: 4000 – 2000) to summon another Dark Magician (ATK: 2500)."

"Another one?" Yugi asked.

"A good duelist has more than one of his best cards." CJ said. "And because I played that spell card, my Citadel and my Skilled Dark Magician get another Spell Counter each (SC: 7)(SC: 3). Your move, Sarah."

"I pass." Sarah said.

"I sacrifice Skilled Dark Magician and its three counters to Special Summon another Dark Magician (ATK: 2500)." CJ smiled.

"He has three?" Yugi asked, shocked.

"That's right… You only saw one in your duel…" Stacey said. "And that's not all he has."

"I remove six Spell Counters from Magical Citadel of Endymion to Special Summon Endymion, the Master Magician (ATK: 2700)." CJ said, summoning a magician in black armor and a violet cape.

"Yikes…" Sarah said. _Good thing I have my traps ready to save me…_

"Almost done…" CJ said.

"What else can he possibly summon?" Kaiba wondered.

"You mean he needs another monster?" Mai asked.

"I play Evil's Summoning Ritual!" CJ exclaimed. "I sacrifice Dark Magician Girl and a monster from my hand to summon Ganondorf, the King of Evil (ATK: 4500)!" The skies darkened and the crimson-haired, crimson-eyed Gerudo man in black armor took to the field.

"The King of Evil…" Kaiba said.

"And I'm not done." CJ said.

"You're kidding?" Stacey exclaimed. "He's got more?"

_Even Stacey's shocked by CJ's move… Wow… _Yugi thought.

"I sacrifice my two Dark Magicians and Endymion…" CJ said, as his three monsters vanished.

_Oh no… This could be bad…_ Sarah thought.

"Almighty protector of the sun and sky… I beg of thee, please hear my cry… Transform thyself from orb of light… And bring me victory in this fight… I beseech thee, grace our humble game… But first I shall call out thy name! Winged Dragon of Ra!" CJ called out. Everyone gasped as the golden dragon Egyptian god card descended from the heavens and rested next to the King of Evil.

"The Winged Dragon of Ra…" Kaiba gasped.

"That's twice now in this tournament that I've summoned an Egyptian god card and my King of Evil together on the field." CJ said. "And look at Ra's points (ATK: 7700)."

"Whoa…" Sarah said.

"And both the Egyptian gods and the Triforce Destiny Cards are immune to traps, so your face downs aren't gonna help you, Sarah." CJ said. "Sorry… But you put up a good fight. Ra, Ganondorf! End this duel!" Sarah fell to her knees as Ganondorf destroyed her monster and Ra's attack devastated her life points (LP: 0).

"The winner… And moving on to the semi-finals! CJ Francis!" Kaiba exclaimed.

"Nice duel, Sarah." CJ said, as the duelists walked back over to their friends.

"Thanks." Sarah said. "You too."

Stacey looked at Mai with nervousness in her eyes. Mai simply smiled.

_I hope CJ's trained you well, Stacey, because I'm not holding back on the battlefield._ Mai thought.

_I hope I can win this…_ Stacey thought. _I want to get to the finals to face CJ… I need to test myself against him and see just how much I've really learned._


	16. The Hurricane's Gale

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN: The Hurricane's Gale**

"The second duel of the Hyrule Cup quarterfinals will be Duelist #3: Mai Valentine vs Duelist #4: Stacey Francis!" Kaiba said, as the two duelists stepped up to the platforms.

"Ready, kid?" Mai asked.

"Yeah, let's duel." Stacey smiled. _Am I ready? Not at all, but I can't admit it… I can't show fear… I have to make it to the finals and duel CJ!_

"I'll start." Mai said, as a red-haired, winged woman in a blue bodysuit took flight over the field. "I summon Harpie Lady (ATK: 1300) and lay a card face down. Go."

"I play Graceful Charity to draw three cards, and then discard two." Stacey said. "Next, I summon Cure Mermaid (ATK: 1500) and lay two cards face down." A blond-haired mermaid in a pink top with a red tail appeared on the field. "Mermaid, attack Harpie Lady!"

"I reveal my trap: Mirror Wall." Mai said, as a reflective wall appeared in front of her Harpie. "Thanks to my trap, your monster's attack power is cut in half as it attacks its own reflection (ATK: 750)."

"I end my turn." Stacey said.

"I summon a second Harpie Lady (ATK: 1300)." Mai said. "And my first Harpie will destroy that Mermaid."

"I activate Sakuretsu Armor." Stacey said. "Which will destroy your Harpie Lady."

"Fine." Mai said. "My second Harpie will still attack." Stacey watched as her monster was sliced in half (LP: 4000 – 550). "Go."

"I summon Kabazauls and attack." Stacey said, summoning a red rhino (ATK: 1700).

"Stacey, don't!" CJ exclaimed.

"Activate Mirror Wall." Mai said, as her wall appeared again.

"What? It's continuous?" Stacey asked, shocked as her monster's attack was halved (ATK: 850). "Then… I guess I end my turn…"

"And now my Harpie Lady attacks Kabazauls." Mai said, as her monster sliced Stacey's in half yet again (LP: 3450 – 450). "Go."

"I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Mirror Wall." Stacey smiled. "Next, I summon Tribe Infecting Virus (ATK: 1600). And, I'll use my Virus to destroy your Harpie Lady."

"Oh no!" Mai exclaimed, as her Harpie was destroyed (LP: 4000 – 300).

"Your move, Mai." Stacey said.

"I summon Harpie Queen (ATK: 1900)." Mai said, summoning a green-haired, winged woman in a blue leotard. "And, she'll devastate your Virus."

"Not quite." Stacey said. "Because by summoning your monster, you triggered my trap: Torrential Tribute."

"What?" Mai gasped, as a wave of water rushed over the field, destroy all monsters. "I end my turn." _Stacey's better than I expected… Maybe I've underestimated her._

"I place a card face down." Stacey said. "Go."

_Or not…_ Mai thought. "I summon a third Harpie Lady (ATK: 1300) and attack you directly." Stacey stumbled as Harpie Lady kicked her in the stomach (LP: 3000 – 1300). "Then, I lay a card face down. Go."

"I activate Fissure to destroy your Harpie Lady ." Stacey said.

_Too bad my trap card will revive all of my Harpies next turn._ Mai thought.

"Next, I play Heavy Storm, destroying all spells and traps on the field." Stacey said.

"No!" Mai exclaimed. _I need my face down card!_

"And with that, I end my turn." Stacey said.

"I have no choice but to pass…" Mai said.

"I play Premature Burial (LP: 1700 – 800) to revive a monster I discarded using Graceful Charity… Ancient Sage of Water (ATK: 2600)." Stacey said, summoning a male spirit in a white robe. On his robe was the symbol of the Sage of Water. "Sage of Water, attack Mai…" Mai gasped as the spirit launched a water blast at her (LP: 3700 – 2600). "Your move."

"I summon Amazoness Chain Master (DEF: 1300)." Mai said, summoning a silver-haired Amazon woman. "And I end my turn."

"I attack your Chain Master with my Ancient Sage." Stacey said.

"Since you destroyed my Chain Master, I can take a monster from your hand, so let me see what you've got." Mai said. Stacey revealed her hand. "Give me your Sage of Water card."

"I end my turn by playing Swords of Revealing Light…" Stacey said. _That's not good… She's gonna take me down with my own card._

"I play Card Destruction, forcing us to discard our entire hands and draw new ones." Mai said. "Next, I play Premature Burial (LP: 1100 – 800) to summon Mai, Sage of Wind from my graveyard." Mai then stepped onto the field and smiled (ATK: 1500).

"Not a very powerful monster." Stacey said.

"I also play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Premature Burial, along with your Ancient Sage." Mai said. "And I end my turn."

_The Hero of Time…_ Stacey thought, drawing a card. _I have the Master Sword Ritual in my hand too, but I need a sacrifice…_ "I pass."

"I use Call of the Haunted to revive Stacey, Sage to the Water Temple (ATK: 2700)." Mai said, as a clone of Stacey appeared on the field, garbed in blue armor made of fish scales. "Finally, I sacrifice both monsters to summon Cyclos, the Cyclone god (ATK: 4000)!" It was then that a tornado struck the field and a large red frog appeared in its place. "But your swords prevent me from attacking, so I end my turn."

"I place a card face down." Stacey said. "Go."

"I can't attack with Cyclos, so I end my turn." Mai said.

"I pass…" Stacey frowned.

"Cyclos, attack!" Mai exclaimed.

"I activate Negate Attack, stopping all your attacks!" Stacey said.

"I end my turn." Mai said.

_I need to draw a sacrifice for the Hero of Time here or I won't win…_ Stacey thought. _No! I will win! I will face CJ in the finals!_ The Triforce of Courage began to glow brightly on her hand as Stacey drew a card.

_Stacey's awakening the Triforce of Courage… _CJ thought.

"I play Master Sword Ritual! I sacrifice two monsters from my hand to summon Hero of Time!" Stacey said, as she stepped forward and was covered in the garb of the ancient Hero. "And, the Hero gains the attack power of the monsters I sacrificed to summon him (ATK: 7450)."

"Uh oh… that's not good…" Mai said.

"Hero of Time, attack Cyclos!" Stacey said. Mai watched as Stacey swung the Master Sword, slicing Cyclos in half (LP: 0).

"And the winner is… Stacey Francis!" Kaiba exclaimed.

_That's my girl…_ CJ thought. _I knew she could win._

_I did it. Now I'm just one step closer to facing CJ in the finals._ Stacey thought.

Kaiba looked at Yugi and smirked.

"I hope you're ready for a rematch no one will forget, Yugi." Kaiba said. "Because this time, things are gonna end differently than our previous duels."


	17. The Ancient Battle Lives Again

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: The Ancient Battle Lives Again**

"I hope you're ready to lose, Yugi." Kaiba said.

"Don't count on it, Kaiba." Yugi said. "I've beaten you once, I'll beat you again."

"Please! Don't make me laugh." Kaiba said. "You're barely even worth my time. But I need to beat you to get to the finals and claim CJ and Stacey's Triforce Destiny Cards, so let's duel."

"Gladly." Yugi said. "I summon a monster in defense mode and lay a card face down. Go."

"I summon Familiar Knight (ATK: 1200)." Kaiba said, summoning a knight in silver armor and a red cape. "Attack that defense!"

"Sorry, Kaiba, but you attack my Marshmallon (DEF: 500)." Yugi said. "Not only can he not be destroyed in battle, but by attacking him while face down, you lose 1000 life points."

"You'll pay for that." Kaiba said (LP: 4000 – 1000). "I end my turn."

"I lay a card face down and play Card Destruction, forcing us to refresh our hands." Yugi said, as both players drew a new hand. "Go."

"I summon Giant Germ in defense mode (DEF: 100)." Kaiba said, summoning a pink germ like monster. "And I lay a card face down. Go."

"I pass." Yugi said.

"I summon Kaiser Sea Horse (ATK: 1700)." Kaiba said, as a knight in purple and blue armor appeared on the field. "And I end my turn."

"I pass again." Yugi said.

_Why isn't Yugi making a move?_ CJ wondered. _Is he waiting for something?_

_What's goin' on? _Joey thought. _Yugi always says to never leave your opponent an opening. And I think that lettin' Kaiba build up monsters is a big opening…_

"I pass as well." Kaiba said.

"I lay a card face down and end my turn." Yugi said.

"I lay a card face down as well." Kaiba said. "Go."

"I summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (ATK: 1500)." Yugi said, summoning a brown beast with a single horn on its head. "Attack that Giant Germ!"

Kaiba smiled as his germ exploded, followed by Yugi's Gazelle.

"By destroying Giant Germ, you triggered my Crush Card Virus!" Kaiba said.

"Oh no!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Now, all your monsters with 1500 attack points or more are rendered useless!" Kaiba said. "And by destroying Giant Germ, you lose 500 life points (LP: 4000 – 500) and I'm allowed to summon two more Giant Germs (ATK: 1000 [x2])."

"I end my turn." Yugi said.

"I switch my germs to defense mode (DEF: 100 [x2]) and end my turn." Kaiba said.

"I pass." Yugi said.

"I summon Y-Dragon Head (ATK: 1500)." Kaiba said, summoning a red machine resembling a dragon. "Go."

"I summon Giant Soldier of Stone (DEF: 2000)." Yugi said, summoning a stone soldier. "Go."

"I pass." Kaiba said. "Go."

"I lay a card face down." Yugi said. "Go."

"I pass again." Kaiba said.

"As do I." Yugi said.

"Wow…" CJ said. "With that Crush Card Virus, Kaiba really crippled Yugi's deck."

"But, that Marshmallon is saving Yugi right now." Joey said.

"It sounds crazy, but I almost feel a belief in the Heart of the Cards coming from Kaiba." CJ said.

_CJ's right… I can sense it too… Kaiba's changed._ Yugi thought. _Not completely, but it's a start…_

"I play Soul Exchange! I sacrifice one of my Giant Germs and your Marshmallon to summon my first Blue Eyes White Dragon (ATK: 3000)!" Kaiba said, summoning the infamous white dragon. "And, since Soul Exchange forces me to skip my Battle Phase, I end my turn."

"I pass." Yugi said.

"I sacrifice Giant Germ to summon Swordstalker (ATK: 2000)." Kaiba said. "Now, my monsters… Attack and end this duel!"

"Reveal trap: Mirror Force!" Yugi said. "Now, all your monsters are destroyed." Kaiba gasped as his monsters exploded.

"I end my turn." Kaiba said.

"I play Swords of Revealing Light!" Yugi said. "Now, you can't attack for three turns. I end my turn."

"Nice move." CJ said. "That Crush Card isn't slowing Yugi down at all."

_Now, I have four turns to come up with a strategy… _Yugi thought.

"I summon Mystic Horseman (ATK: 1300)." Kaiba said, summoning a half-man, half-horse creature. "Go."

"I pass." Yugi said.

"I summon Spear Dragon (ATK: 1900)." Kaiba said, summoning a blue dragon with a long snout. "Go."

"I lay a card face down." Yugi said. "Go."

"I summon Z-Metal Tank (ATK: 1500)." Kaiba said, as he summoned a yellow tank monster. "Go." Yugi's Swords of Revealing Light then vanished.

"I switch Giant Soldier of Stone to attack mode (ATK: 1300) and I equip it with Mage Power, increasing its attack and defense by 500 for each spell and trap on my field (ATK: 2800). Giant Soldier, attack Mystic Horseman!" Kaiba watched as his monster was destroyed (LP: 3000 – 1500). "I end my turn."

_I need to find a way to beat Yugi… Maybe he's right…_ Kaiba thought. _Maybe I just need to trust in my deck…_ He closed his eyes and saw a vision of ancient Egypt. A man bearing a striking resemblance to Kaiba stood in front of a large stone tablet. In the man's arms was a blue haired woman in torn, grubby clothes.

"_Kisara… I shall save you… I swear it…"_ The man mumbled. Kaiba opened his eyes and reached for his deck.

"I sacrifice my two monsters to summon Blue Eyes White Dragon (ATK: 3000)!" Kaiba said, summoning another white dragon. "Attack that Giant Soldier of Stone!" Yugi watched as his soldier was destroyed (LP: 3500 – 200). "Go."

_Kaiba has a really strong belief in the Heart of the Cards… I can sense it… It helped him draw his Blue Eyes White Dragon._ Yugi thought drawing a card. _But that's not enough. _"I play Brain Control (LP: 3300 – 800) to take control of Blue Eyes!"

"Oh no!" Kaiba said. _I'm open to a direct attack, and I only have 1500 life points!_

"Blue Eyes, attack!" Yugi said. Kaiba gasped as his own dragon launched an attack against him, ending the duel (LP: 0).

_Now that's the Yugi I know. Not even the Crush Card Virus stopped him._ CJ thought.


	18. Terra Firma Fight

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Terra Firma Fight**

"And the winner is… Yugi Moto!" The nearby KaibaCorp employee said. "The final duel of the quarterfinals will be Duelist #6: Mike Polito vs Duelist #7: Joey Wheeler!" Joey and Mike stepped up to the platforms and readied their Duel Disks.

"Sorry, man, but you're Sage of Forest deck ain't got a chance against my deck." Joey said.

"We'll see." Mike said. "I'll begin by playing Terraforming to add a field spell from my deck to my hand. Next, I summon Goblin Recon Squad (ATK: 1700)." Then, a group of green goblins wearing spy equipment appeared on the field. "Then, I lay a card face down. Your move."

"I play Card Destruction!" Joey said.

"So, we discard our hands and draw new cards." Mike said, as he drew four cards. Joey drew five.

"Now, I summon Swordsman of Landstar (DEF: 1200)." Joey said, summoning a pink warrior in brown armor. "Go."

"I sacrifice Goblin Recon Squad to summon Rose Tentacles (ATK: 2200)." Mike said, summoning a large rose monster. "Wipe out that Swordsman of Landstar!" Joey watched as his monster exploded. "Your move."

"I summon Tiger Axe (DEF: 1100)." Joey said, summoning a tiger monster in blue armor carrying an axe. "Go."

"Rose Tentacles, attack Tiger Axe!" Mike said, as Joey's monster was wiped out. "Go."

"I summon Copycat (ATK: 0) and use his ability to copy Rose Tentacles (ATK: 2200)." Joey said, as he summoned a human like monster that held a mirror where its face should be. In the mirror was a reflection of Mike's monster. "Copycat, attack!"

"Reveal trap: Magic Cylinder!" Mike said. "This will redirect your attack back at your life points!" Joey gasped as his attack backfired (LP: 4000 – 2200).

"I end my turn." Joey said.

"I play Swords of Revealing Light." Mike said. "And I end my turn."

"I summon Goblin Attack Force (ATK: 2300) and end my turn." Joey said, summoning a group of green goblins in purple armor.

"I lay a card face down and end my turn." Mike said.

"I sacrifice my two monsters to summon Red Eyes Black Dragon (ATK: 2400)!" Joey said, summoning a mighty black dragon. "And I end my turn with a face down card."

"I summon Petit Moth and equip it with Cocoon of Evolution (DEF: 2000)." Mike exclaimed.

"Whoa! Weevil's Great Moth combo!" Joey said. "Mike… Did you… duel Weevil?"

"I did." Mike said. "And I won his Great Moth cards. Your move."

"I lay a card face down and end my turn." Joey said, as Mike's swords vanished.

"I switch Rose Tentacles to defense mode (DEF: 1200) and summon another defense." Mike said. "Go."

"I activate Call of the Haunted to revive a card I discarded with Card Destruction…" Joey said, as he laid a card on his Duel Disk and stepped onto the field. "Joey, Sage of Earth (ATK: 2500). And, I gain a power boost for each Earth monster on the field (ATK: 3100). On top of that, since I'm on the field with Red Eyes, both my dragon and I gain another boost." Joey said, as he (ATK: 3900) and Red Eyes (ATK: 3200) gained an attack boost. "Time to wipe out Rose Tentacles and Cocoon of Evolution." Mike watched as two of his monsters vanished. "Your move."

"I sacrifice my defense monster to summon Phantom Ganon, Evil Spirit from Beyond (DEF: 900)." Mike said, summoning a man in black armor. He wore a skull mask and rode a phantom horse. "Go."

"I attack your Phantom." Joey said.

"Sorry, but my Phantom can't be destroyed in battle." Mike said.

"Then I end my turn." Joey said.

"I lay a card face down." Mike said.

_The only thing defending Mike's life points right now is Phantom Ganon._ CJ thought. _He's probably planning to match Joey Sage-for-Sage, but with Joey's effect, and a good chance that the Forest Temple field spell in the graveyard, Mike doesn't stand a chance._

"I pass." Joey said. "Go."

"I summon Gigantic Cephalotus (ATK: 1850)." Mike said, summoning a dinosaur-like plant. "Next, I activate Hero's Bow! First, Cephalotus is prevented from attacking this turn. Next, Phantom Ganon is destroyed."

_What the-? Why would he destroy his own monster?_ Joey wondered.

"By destroying Phantom Ganon, I can Special Summon Mike, Sage of the Forest (ATK: 2600)." Mike said, stepping onto the field. "And I equip myself with Forest Medallion (ATK: 3200). Next, I discard a plant monster from my hand to destroy Joey, Sage of Earth!" Joey gasped as he was thrown back onto his platform and Red Eyes was weakened (ATK: 2400). Finally, I attack Red Eyes!" Joey watched as his favorite monster was blown apart (LP: 1800 – 800). "Your move."

"I play Heavy Storm." Joey said as Mike was weakened (ATK: 2600). "Next, I lay two cards face down, summon a defense monster and end my turn."

"Cephalotus will destroy your monster and I attack you directly, ending the duel." Mike said.

"Reveal A Hero Emerges!" Joey said. "Choose a card from my hand. If it's a monster, I can summon it to the field."

"I choose the card on your right." Mike said. Then, a humanoid monster in green armor and a pair of red goggles appeared on the field (DEF: 1500).

"You picked Jinzo." Joey said, as his monster was destroyed.

"I end my turn." Mike said.

"I play Monster Reborn to revive Gearfried the Iron Knight (ATK: 1800)." Joey said, summoning a knight in black iron armor. "Next, I play Release Restraint!" The iron armor then fell off, revealing a black-haired, muscular swordsman. "This transforms Gearfried the Iron Knight into Gearfried the Swordmaster (ATK: 2600)!"

"So both our monsters will be destroyed." Mike said.

"Not quite." Joey said. "I equip Gearfried with Lucky Iron Axe (ATK: 3100). Gearfried, take out the Sage of the Forest card!" Mike watched as Joey's monster attacked and he was thrown back to his platform (LP: 4000 – 500).

"Not bad." Mike said. "You finally damaged my life points."

"I end my turn." Joey said.

"I switch Cephalotus to defense mode (DEF: 700) and summon Mystic Tomato (DEF: 1100)." Mike said, summoning a fiendish tomato monster. "Go."

"I play the field spell Sogen, boosting Geafried's attack (ATK: 3300)." Joey said. "Gearfried, wipe out Cephalotus!" Mike stood there and watched as his monster exploded. "Go."

"I summon another defense and lay a card face down." Mike said.

"Gearfried, attack that defense!" Joey said, as another one of Mike's monsters vanished. "Go."

"I summon another Mystic Tomato (DEF: 1100)." Mike said.

"Gearfried, destroy one of those Tomatoes!" Joey said. "Go."

"By destroying Mystic Tomato, you allowed me to summon Twilight Rose Knight (ATK: 1000)." Mike said, summoning a blue haired knight in black armor and a white cape. He then drew a card. "Next, I play Premature Burial (LP: 3500 – 800) to revive myself… Mike, Sage of the Forest (ATK: 2600). Then, I discard a plant monster from my hand, destroying Gearfried."

_Oh no… Gearfried's the only monster defending my life points._ "By destroying Gearfried, you also destroyed Lucky Iron Axe, which lets me draw one card." Joey said.

"Too bad my attack will end the duel." Mike said, swinging his sword. Suddenly, four sheep appeared on Joey's field (DEF: 0 [x4]).

"I activate Scapegoat to summon four Sheep Tokens." Joey said, as one of the tokens was destroyed.

"I end my turn." Mike said.

"I play Smashing Ground to destroy your Sage of the Forest." Joey said. Mike was then thrown back onto his platform again as his Sage Card was destroyed. "I end my turn."

"I switch my Tomato to attack mode (ATK: 1400) and my monsters will take out two more of your tokens." Mike said. "Go."

"I summon Axe Raider (ATK: 1900)." Joey said, summoning an axe-wielding purple-haired man in gold armor. "Attack Twilight Rose Knight!" Mike watched as his knight was sliced in half (LP: 2700 – 900). "Go."

_This duel is really down to the wire…_ CJ thought. _But I can't tell if Mike's holding his own against Joey or Joey's holding his own against Mike… They're very evenly matched… If I had to pick one of them to face in the finals, I don't know who I'd pick…_

"I switch Mystic Tomato back to defense mode (DEF: 1100) and summon a second defense." Mike said. "Go."

"Axe Raider, destroy Mystic Tomato!" Joey said. "Go."

"I lay a card face down and summon a defense." Mike said. "Go."

"I summon Kojikocy (ATK: 1700), equip Axe Raider with Legendary Sword (ATK: 2200) and both monsters will wipe out your defenses!" Joey said, summoning a gray-haired, bearded warrior in green armor. Mike watched as his monsters were both sliced in half. "I lay a card face down. Go."

_All that's left is this move… If this doesn't win… It's over._ Mike thought. "I activate Call of the Haunted to revive myself one more time!"

"I play Dust Tornado!" Joey said. Mike watched as a twister destroyed his trap card. He then placed his cards back on top of his deck and laid his hand over the life point counter on his Duel Disk.

"No way!" Kaiba exclaimed. "Wheeler won?"

"I surrender the duel, Joey." Mike said. "You have me beat…"

"And the winner is… Joey Wheeler!" The KaibaCorp suit announced. Kaiba then stepped up in front of the group.

"Everyone rest up." He said. "The quarterfinals begins tomorrow."

"Who are we dueling?" CJ asked.

"You will find out in the morning." Kaiba said.

"Figures." CJ said.

_I hope I don't have to face CJ… _ Stacey thought. _I want to duel him in the finals… Hero of Time versus King of Evil, the ultimate battle…_

_Man, maybe Yug and I will have to face off again like in Duelist Kingdom?_ Joey wondered. _That would be so sweet!_


	19. Clash of the Dragons

**CHAPTER NINETEEN: Clash of the Dragons**

The next morning, everyone gathered outside the Hotel Del Sheik, eager to begin the next round of duels.

"Roland will announce the duels." Kaiba said. The KaibaCorp employee stepped forward and raised his hand in the air.

"The first duel of the semi-finals will be Duelist #5: CJ Francis vs Duelist #7: Joey Wheeler!" Roland announced. CJ and Joey walked onto their platforms. CJ smiled.

"Ready to do this, Joey?" CJ asked. "Blue Eyes White Dragon versus Red Eyes… Sage of Shadow versus Sage of Earth…"

"Gearfried the Swordmaster versus Ganondorf the King of Evil…" Joey said.

"Quite a duel." CJ said. "And quite a show for our friends."

"I'll let you make the first move." Joey said.

"Thanks." CJ said, drawing his cards. "I summon Skilled Dark Magician (ATK: 1900) and lay a card face down." Then, CJ's blue-and-gold-robed mage appeared on the field. "Go."

_A typical opening move for CJ… I wonder if Joey can get past it._ Yugi thought.

"I summon Hayabusa Knight (DEF: 700)." Joey said, summoning a purple human-like bird warrior in silver armor and a green cape. "Then, I lay a card face down to end my turn."

"I summon a defense monster." CJ said. "And I attack your Hayabusa Knight with Skilled Dark Magician."

"Activate Magic Arm Shield!" Joey said. "Now, I'll block your attack with your own defense." CJ grimaced as he attacked a knight carrying a large shield (DEF: 2000) (LP: 4000 – 100).

_That was an excellent move on Joey's part…_ CJ thought. _He's used Magic Arm Shield a number of times. I should've seen that coming._

_What's up with CJ? _Yugi wondered. _He's seen Joey duel before, and he's seen him use that card several times._

_Something's not right._ Stacey thought. _CJ's head isn't in this duel…_

"I end my turn." CJ said, "Which means I get Defender the Magical Knight back (DEF: 2000)."

"I sacrifice Hayabusa Knight to summon da one and only Flame Swordsman (ATK: 1800)!" Joey said, summoning a man in a blue shirt and pants, red helmet and shoulder pads, and carrying a flaming sword. "Next, I equip him with Lucky Iron Axe, giving him a power boost (ATK: 2300). Now, Flame Swordsman, attack that Skilled Dark Magician!"

"I don't think so." CJ said. "Because I activate Mirror Force." Joey watched in shock as his Flame Swordsman was destroyed.

"Because Lucky Iron Axe was destroyed, I can draw a card." Joey said. "And I end my turn."

"I play Graceful Charity to draw three cards, so long as I discard two." CJ said. "Next, I sacrifice Defender to summon Dark Magician Girl (ATK: 2000)." Then, a blond-haired female mage in a blue top, pink skirt and blue hat appeared on the field.

"CJ has the Dark Magician Girl too?" Yugi asked.

"That's not all I have." CJ said. "I play Sage's Stone!"

"No way!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Since Dark Magician Girl is on my field, Sage's Stone allows me to call forth the Dark Magician (ATK: 2500)!" CJ said, as the blue-haired, purple-robed mage appeared on the field next to his female counterpart. "And because three spell cards have been played since he was summoned, my Skilled Dark Magician has three spell counters (SC: 3), so I'll sacrifice him to summon another Dark Magician (ATK: 2500). Finally, I sacrifice one of my Dark Magicians to summon Dark Eradicator Warlock (ATK: 2500), lay two cards face down and end my turn." Then, a blue-skinned mage in crimson armor and purple cape appeared on the field.

_Whoa… He didn't attack…_ Joey thought.

_Is CJ waiting to draw his Winged Dragon of Ra again?_ Stacey wondered. _No… Joey already saw him try that against Sarah… CJ wouldn't pull the same strategy twice… What is he planning?_

"I summon Baby Dragon (DEF: 700)." Joey said, summoning a orange baby dragon. "Go."

"Dark Magician Girl, wipe out his dragon!" CJ said, as his female mage obliterated Joey's dragon. "Go."

"I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (DEF: 1600)." Joey said, summoning his iron-clad knight. "Go."

"I play Premature Burial (LP: 3900 – 800) to revive Dark Magician, who I'll sacrifice using Knight's Title to summon Dark Magician Knight (ATK: 2500)." CJ said, as his Dark Magician's robe transformed into purple armor and his green staff became a sword. "And thanks to my Knight's ability, your Gearfried is destroyed. Go."

_Dark Magician… Dark Magician Girl… Dark Magician Knight… and Dark Eradicator Warlock…_ Yugi thought. _Could CJ be trying to summon the legendary Magician's Court? Impossible… he can't have all the monsters…_

"I play Card Destruction." Joey said. "And since you don't have a hand, I'm the only one who get a do-over." He then drew four new cards. "I pass…"

"As do I." CJ said.

"I summon Kojikocy (ATK: 1500) and equip him with Lightning Blade (ATK: 2300)." Joey said, summoning a gray-bearded warrior in green armor. "Attack that Dark Magician Girl!"

"I reveal my trap… Sakurestu Armor." CJ said. "So your Kojikocy is destroyed."

"Dang…" Joey said. "Fine… I use Fissure to destroy Dark Magician Girl."

"I use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Fissure." CJ said.

"I end my turn." Joey said.

"And I pass mine." CJ said. _I have two of the necessary pieces… One more and it'll be complete…_

"I summon Axe Raider (DEF: 1150)." Joey said, summoning a purple-haired man in red-and-gold armor. "Then, I lay a card face down. Go."

"I play Black Magic Ritual!" CJ said.

"No way!" Yugi exclaimed. "He has it!"

"I sacrifice Obelisk the Tormentor from my hand to summon Magician of Black Chaos (ATK: 2800)!" CJ said, summoning a blue-skinned, black-haired mage in an indigo-and-crimson bodysuit.

"Whoa… CJ has five Dark Magicians on his field…" Tristan said.

"Dark Magician Knight… Dark Magician Girl… Dark Eradicator Warlock… Dark Magician… And finally, Magician of Black Chaos…" Yugi said, shocked. "That's something even I have yet to do…"

"Now, my five magicians, attack and bring this duel to an end!" CJ exclaimed.

"Activate Scapegoat!" Joey exclaimed, as four colorful sheep appeared on his field (DEF: 0). All five of his monsters were then blown apart.

"Whoa! Joey just managed to save himself from all five of CJ's magicians…" Yugi said.

_Impressive… I thought I had Joey beat… I guess maybe I underestimated him a little…_ CJ thought. "I end my turn."

"I play Lightning Vortex." Joey said. "I discard a card from my hand to destroy all your face up monsters." CJ gasped as his five magicians were wiped out by a vicious lightning storm. "Go."

"I play Swords of Revealing Light." CJ said. "Now, you can't attack for three turns. Go."

"I summon Little Winguard (DEF: 1800)." Joey said, summoning a small blue warrior carrying a sword and shield. "Go."

"I pass." CJ said.

"I summon Goblin Attack Force (ATK: 2300)." Joey said, summoning a group of green goblins. "Go."

"I lay a card face down and end my turn." CJ said.

"I sacrifice my two monsters to summon Red Eyes Black Dragon (ATK: 2400)!" Joey said, summoning his famous black dragon. "Go." Then, CJ's swords vanished.

"I activate Call of the Haunted!" CJ said.

_Here comes one of his magicians again…_ Yugi thought.

_Oh boy… I'm in trouble if he takes out the Dark Magician…_ Joey thought.

"I revive the monster I discarded with Graceful Charity… the Blue Eyes White Dragon (ATK: 3000)!" CJ said, as the legendary white dragon appeared in the sky above him.

"Oh no!" Joey exclaimed.

"That's right Joey…" CJ said. "The dragon that rivals your Red Eyes Black Dragon. Too bad my dragon is stronger… Blue Eyes, attack! White Lightning!" Joey gasped as his Red Eyes Black Dragon was blown apart by CJ's dragon (LP: 4000 – 600). "Your move."

"I lay a card face down." Joey said.

"I equip Blue Eyes with Mage Power, boosting its strength (ATK: 4000)." CJ said. "Attack Joey directly! White Lightning!"

Joey stood there helpless, as CJ's dragon's attack struck him (LP: 0), ending the duel.

"And the winner is… CJ Francis!" Roland announced.

"Dang… Nice duel, CJ…" Joey said, as the two stepped off their platforms and shook hands.

"You too." CJ said. "I had a feeling you'd find a way past my magician combo."

"You had a number of times you could've attacked and finished me." Joey said. "Why didn't you?"

"I wanted to summon all five magicians." CJ said. "And I wanted to see if you could destroy them."

"Why?" Joey asked.

"Because… I wanted the end of the duel to be a face-off between our two dragons." CJ said.

"Will the next two competitors please step forward?" Roland said. "Duelist #2: Yugi Moto versus Duelist #4: Stacey Francis!"

_Time for a real test… I have to duel Yugi…_ Stacey thought. _If I can't win this, I can't face CJ in the final match… And I want to face him… I want to test myself… My Hero of Time against his King of Evil…_

_Stacey… You're my friend, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna go easy on you._ Yugi thought. _I'm sure CJ wants me to come at you with everything I've got, so that's what I'm gonna do._


	20. Test of Courage

**CHAPTER TWENTY: Test of Courage**

_Well, Stacey… It's time to see just how far you've come as a duelist… Yugi will be one of your toughest opponents, but I know you can win._ CJ thought.

"Ready, Stacey?" Yugi asked.

"Let's duel!" Stacey said.

"You're on!" Yugi said. "I discard a card to Special Summon The Tricky (ATK: 2000)." Then, a creature in a yellow-and-black bodysuit and blue cape appeared on the field. "Your move."

"I summon Mad Lobster (ATK: 1700)." Stacey said, summoning an evil-looking lobster monster. "Next, I play Hammer Shot to destroy The Tricky!" Yugi watched as his monster exploded. "Mad Lobster, attack Yugi's life points!" Yugi stumbled back as Stacey's monster attacked him (LP: 4000 – 1700).

_Good move, Stacey… But don't get too overconfident…_ Yugi thought.

"I lay one card face down and summon Beta the Magnet Warrior (ATK: 1700)." Yugi said, summoning a yellow warrior with magnets attached to its head and hands. "Go."

"I summon Mermaid Knight (ATK: 1500)." Stacey said, summoning an armored mermaid. "Mad Lobster, attack!"

"Reveal trap: Spellbinding Circle!" Yugi exclaimed, as his trap ensnared Stacey's lobster. "This stops your monster from attacking or switching to defense mode."

"I end my turn." Stacey said.

"I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior (DEF: 1800)." Yugi said, summoning a pink machine-like monster with a magnet around its neck and a blue "S" on its chest. "Beta, attack Mermaid Knight!" Stacey watched as her mermaid was destroyed (LP: 4000 – 200). "Go."

"I summon a defense monster and lay a card face down." Stacey said. "Go."

"I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior (ATK: 1400)." Yugi said, summoning a silver machine like monster carrying a sword and shield. On the front of the shield and the hilt of the sword were magnets. "Now, my magnet warriors, combine!" The three warriors then broke apart and their parts combined to create a larger, winged mechanical warrior. "I summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (ATK: 3500)! Valkyrion, attack that Lobster!"

Stacey gasped as her lobster was sliced in half by Valkyrion's sword (LP: 3800 – 1800).

"I end my turn." Yugi said.

"I sacrifice my defense monster to summon Morpha, Giant Aquatic Amoeba (DEF: 1100)." Stacey said, as a pillar of water appeared on her field. Floating inside it was a red amoeba. "Go."

"I summon Queen's Knight (ATK: 1500)." Yugi said, summoning a blond haired female knight in red armor. "But I know that Morpha can't be destroyed, so I end my turn."

"I lay a card face down." Stacey said. "Go."

"I summon King's Knight (ATK: 1600)." Yugi said, summoning a blond haired male knight in orange armor. "And since he's on the field with Queen's Knight, I can Special Summon Jack's Knight (ATK: 1900)." Then, a blond haired knight in blue armor appeared on the field. "Go."

"I pass." Stacey said. _The only thing protecting my life points right now is Morpha… But I can't get anything strong enough to take down his Valkyrion… There's only one hope…_

"I play Polymerization, fusing my King's Knight, Queen's Knight and Jack's Knight to summon Arcana Knight Joker (ATK: 3800)." Yugi said, summoning a purple haired warrior in black armor. "Go."

"I lay a card face down." Stacey said. "Go."

"I play Black Luster Ritual and sacrifice Gandora, the Dragon of Destruction from my hand to summon Black Luster Soldier (ATK: 3000)!" Yugi said, summoning a red-haired knight in dark blue and yellow armor.

"Whoa!" Joey exclaimed.

"Yugi's got three of his strongest monsters on the field!" Tea said.

"I knew he would." CJ said.

"What do you mean, CJ?" Tea asked.

"He told me he was gonna do this…" CJ said. "Last night, after the last duel."

_CJ walked outside the hotel, into the Hidden Village. Stacey had already fallen asleep. Waiting outside was Yugi._

"_CJ… You may be one of my best friends, and I know you love Stacey, and you care about her, but I'm not going easy on her in tomorrow's match." Yugi said._

"_I wouldn't want you to, Yugi." CJ said. "I want you to duel her with everything you've got. You may not have the god cards anymore, but you've still got some powerful monsters… Monsters I want Stacey to face off with."_

"_Like Arcana Knight Joker, Black Luster Soldier, and Valkyrion." Yugi said._

"_Exactly… And there's one more…" CJ said._

"But I still can't destroy Morpha, so I end my turn." Yugi said.

"I play Fissure!" Stacey said. "This will destroy your Black Luster Soldier! And I'll end my turn."

"I play Card of Sanctity, so we each draw until we have six cards in our hands!" Yugi said. "Next, I play Monster Reborn to summon Dark Magician Girl (ATK: 2000)!" Then, the blond-haired female mage in a blue top and pink skirt took to the field.

"But, how?" Stacey asked. "I never sent her to the graveyard!"

"But I did…" Yugi said. "When I summoned The Tricky."

"This is it." CJ said. "The start of the move for Yugi's final strong monster."

"Huh?" Joey said.

"What monster is it?" Tristan asked.

"A monster I don't think you guys have ever seen before.." CJ said. "Other than Kaiba. You were all trapped in the Millennium Puzzle the last time Yugi summoned this monster."

"Next, I play Sage's Stone to summon Dark Magician (ATK: 2500)!" Yugi said, as his famous mage appeared on the field. "Next I sacrifice Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl to summon my ultimate magician… the Sorcerer of Dark Magic (ATK: 3200)!" Then, a mage in black armor and a black cape, carrying a green staff appeared on the field.

"What is that?" Tea asked.

"Yugi's ultimate monster." CJ said. "Now it's time to see what Stacey's learned."

"I end my turn with a face down card." Yugi said.

"I lay a card face down." Stacey said. "Go."

"I pass." Yugi said.

_I need to find a way to beat Yugi… I need to make it to the finals so I can face CJ._ Stacey thought, drawing a card. _That's just what I needed._

"I play Master Sword Ritual!" Stacey said. "I sacrifice two monsters from my hand to summon Hero of Time!" Then, Link's spirit emerged from Stacey and stepped onto the field, garbed in his green hat and tunic (ATK: 3200). "Next, I play Longshot. My Hero can't attack this turn, but Morpha is destroyed and I can summon myself… Stacey, Sage to the Water Temple (ATK: 2700)."

"Not bad, Stacey." Yugi said. "Not bad at all."

"How's she gonna beat Yugi with those?" Joey wondered. "She should've kept Morpha on the field."

"She's not done yet." CJ said.

"CJ's right." Stacey said. "I equip myself with Sacred Blade of the Fallen Sage (ATK: 3700) and then I summon Courage Plasma (ATK: 1000). Next, I send Hero of Time and Courage Plasma to the graveyard, allowing me to perform a new kind of summon… a Synchro Summon! By tuning my Level 2 Courage Plasma with my Level 10 Hero of Time, I can summon my Level 12 Hero of Speed (ATK: 3200)!" Link's sword then began to glow green. "And did I mention that I gain 500 attack points for the Ancient Sage of Water in my graveyard?" Stacey smiled as her points increased (ATK: 4200).

_She's done it… _CJ thought. _She's unlocked the full power of her Hero of Time._

"And the Hero of Speed has all the powers of the Hero of Time, meaning he gains the attack power of all the monsters I sacrificed to ritual summon the Hero of Time (ATK: 7700)." Stacey said. "Now, I attack Sorcerer of Dark Magic and Hero of Time, attack Valkyrion!"

"Reveal trap!" Yugi said. "Mirror Force! You fought a valiant duel Stacey, but I will win in my next move." Yugi gasped as his two monsters exploded (LP: 0). "What happened?"

"I used my face down Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Mirror Force." Stacey smiled.

"I should've expected that from someone who learned how to duel from CJ." Yugi said, stepping down off of his platform. Stacey looked with determination in her eyes as CJ stepped up and readied his Duel Disk.

_I hope I can do this…_ Stacey thought. _You taught me everything I know, CJ… And it's time I show you what I learned._

_This is it, Stacey._ CJ thought. _Your final test. Let's see how far you've come… Can the student defeat the master?_


	21. Battle of the Royals

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Battle of the Royals**

"Attention everyone! It's time for the final match of the Hyrule Cup. Our two finalists… Duelist #4: Stacey Francis versus Duelist #5: CJ Francis have stepped up to their platforms and are ready to duel!" Roland exclaimed. Several hot air balloons filled with camera crews floated over the village. "This match will be a title match for the title 'King… or Queen of Games', between the King and Queen of Hyrule! Life points will be set at 8000! If the duelists are ready, let the duel begin!"

"Are you ready for this, Stacey?" CJ asked.

"Yeah." Stacey said. _At least, I hope I am…_

"I'll begin!" CJ said. "I activate the field spell, Necrovalley!" Then, the village changed to a deep stone canyon and a gloomy feeling filled the air. "Next, I summon Gemini Elf (ATK: 1900) and end my turn." CJ then summoned a pair of female elves: one with orange hair and a purple dress, and one with blond hair and a blue dress.

"I summon Cure Mermaid (ATK: 1500) and play Hammer Shot to destroy your Gemini Elf!" Stacey said. CJ watched as a blond mermaid in a pink skirt and red tail appeared on the field and his monster was then destroyed. "Next, I play Swords of Revealing Light and attack you directly!" CJ stumbled back as he was struck by Stacey's mermaid (LP: 8000 – 1500). "Your move."

"I summon Gravekeeper's Assailant (ATK: 1500)." CJ said, summoning a human in a black cloak. In the person's hand was a dagger. "And, my Assailant gains 500 points thanks to Necrovalley (ATK: 2000). But because of your swords, I can't attack, so I end my turn."

"And now my Mermaid's ability activates, giving me a life point boost (LP: 8800)." Stacey said. "Next, I lay a card face down and end my turn."

"I sacrifice my assailant to summon Gravekeeper's Chief (ATK: 2400)." CJ said, summoning a man in a white and green robe, and green headdress. In his hand was a gold staff shaped like a snake. "And thanks to his ability, I can bring back my Gravekeeper's Assailant (ATK: 2000). Your move."

"Thanks to Cure Mermaid, my life points go up again (LP: 9600)." Stacey said. "Go."

"I summon Gravekeeper's Spy (ATK: 1700)." CJ said, summoning a man in a black cloak. "And I end my turn." Then, Stacey's Swords of Revealing Light vanished as she drew a card.

"Cure Mermaid boosts my life points one more time (LP: 10400), and I then sacrifice her to summon Morpha, Giant Aquatic Amoeba (DEF: 1100)." Stacey said, as her amoeba appeared on the field. "Go."

"I place one card face down." CJ said. "And I sacrifice Gravekeeper's Spy, Gravekeeper's Assailant and Gravekeeper's Chief to summon Obelisk the Tormentor (ATK: 4000)!" Stacey watched in shock as CJ's three monsters vanished and the legendary Egyptian god monster appeared on the field. "And I end my turn with that."

_Yikes… Morpha's the only thing defending my from his Egyptian god card…_ Stacey said. _And I need to find a way to take that thing down._ She drew a card. "I pass."

"I summon another Gravekeeper's Assailant (ATK: 2000) and end my turn." CJ said.

"I play Graceful Charity to draw three cards and discard two." Stacey said. "Next, I lay a card face down and summon Kabazauls (ATK: 1700)." Then, a red rhino appeared on the field. "Go."

"I summon another Gravekeeper's Spy (ATK: 1700)." CJ said. "Go."

"I play Longshot." Stacey said. "Kabazauls can't attack, and Morpha is destroyed, allowing me to summon myself… Stacey, Sage to the Water Temple (ATK: 2700)!" Stacey then smiled as Morpha vanished and she stepped onto the field. "And I gain 1000 attack points for the Ancient Sage of Water and Ruto, Zora Sage in my graveyard (ATK: 3700). Next, I equip myself with Ancient Blade of the Fallen Sage (ATK: 4700)! And, now I can destroy Obelisk!" CJ gasped as Stacey sliced through his Egyptian god card, destroying it (LP: 8000 – 700).

"I switch my monsters to defense (DEF: 2500)(DEF: 2000) and summon another defense monster." CJ said. "Go."

"Kabazauls, destroy that defense! And I'll destroy your Spy!" CJ watched as two of his monsters exploded.

"I summon another defense and end my turn." CJ said.

"I summon 7 Colored Fish (ATK: 1800)." Stacey said, summoning a multi-colored fish. "Kabazauls, taking out the defense, and I'll destroy your Assailant!" CJ stood there with a small smile on his face as his monsters vanished. "7 Colored Fish, attack him directly!" Stacey's fish then rammed CJ (LP: 7300 – 1800) and returned to her field.

_Stacey's come a long way… I'm proud of her._ CJ thought, drawing a card. _This'll help._ "I play Graceful Charity to draw three cards, as long as I discard two." _There it is.. the perfect test._ "I play Evil's Summoning Ritual! I sacrifice Slifer the Sky Dragon from my hand to summon Ganondorf, the King of Evil (ATK: 4500)!"

"There it is…" Yugi said, as the crimson-eyed, crimson-haired black-armor-garbed King of Evil appeared on CJ's field. "CJ's Triforce Destiny Card…"

"Next, I activate Heavy Storm!" CJ said. "This destroys every spell and trap card on the field, including your Sacred Blade of the Fallen Sage and my Necrovalley!" Stacey gasped as her sword vanished (ATK: 4700 – 1000). "Next, I play Premature Burial (LP: 5500 – 800) to revive Obelisk the Tormentor (ATK: 4000). King of Evil, attack 7 Colored Fish! Obelisk, destroy Kabazauls!" Stacey stood there confused as her monsters were destroyed (LP: 10400 – 5000). "Go."

_Why didn't he attack me? He could've destroyed my Sage card and gotten rid of my strongest monster!_ Stacey thought. "I lay a card face down and switch to defense mode (DEF: 2200). Go."

"And Obelisk returns to the graveyard." CJ said. "King of Evil, attack Stacey!" Stacey leaped back onto her platform and watched as a hologram of her was destroyed by the King of Evil. "Go."

"I play Dian Keto the Cure Master (LP: 6400) and end my turn." Stacey said.

"King of Evil, direct attack!" CJ exclaimed. Stacey stood there as the King of Evil attacked her (LP: 6400 – 4500). "Go." 

"I summon Mother Grizzly (DEF: 1000) and end my turn." Stacey said.

"King of Evil, attack Mother Grizzly!" CJ commanded.

"Thanks." Stacey said. "By destroying Mother Grizzly, you allowed me to summon Aqua Madoor (ATK: 1200)." Then, a blue haired monster in a green robe and white mask appeared on Stacey's field.

"I end my turn." CJ said. "And with only one monster on your field, there's not much standing between your life points and my King of Evil. Your true test begins, honey. With your Sage in the graveyard, and my King of Evil on the field, your only hope lies in the Hero of Time and your Triforce of Courage."

_He's right… But what if I can't draw the right cards?_ Stacey wondered, drawing a card. _I did it! _"I play Master Sword Ritual! I sacrifice Aqua Madoor from my field and Ocean Dragon Lord- Neo Daedulus from my hand to summon Hero of Time (ATK: 3200)! And he gains the attack points of the monsters I sacrificed to summon him with (ATK: 7300)." Stacey smiled as Link emerged from her and stepped onto the field. "Hero of Time, attack the King of Evil!" CJ watched as Link sliced his King in half (LP: 4700 – 2800). "Your move, hun."

"Not bad, Stacey." CJ said. "We're both at 1900 life points. You have the Hero of Time on the field and I'm monster-less… It looks like this may be my final turn." He drew a card. "Or maybe not. I play Swords of Revealing Light!" Stacey gasped as glowing swords pierced her field. "Now you can't attack for three turns. Go."

"I summon Familiar Possessed – Eria (ATK: 1850)." Stacey said, summoning a blue-haired maiden in a tan cloak. "Go."

"I pass." CJ said.

"So do I." Stacey said.

"I lay my Mirror Force trap card face down." CJ said. "Oops… did I just tell you what I played? Oh well, I guess it can't be helped. Your move."

_What the-? _Yugi thought. _Why did he do that?_

_He knows that trap are useless against the Triforce Destiny Cards…_ Stacey thought. _Why did he tell me he was laying Mirror Force down? What is he planning?_ "I pass, so your swords vanish. You better make this count because it's your last move."

"I pass." CJ said.

"That was a great duel, CJ… But it looks like your title is mine." Stacey said. "Hero of Time, attack!"

"I reveal my trap!" CJ said.

"Mirror Force may destroy my Hero of Time, but he'll come back next turn and I'll end it there!" Stacey said.

"Backup Soldier!" CJ exclaimed.

"What?" Everyone exclaimed in shock.

"His trap wasn't Mirror Force?" Yugi asked.

"No way!" Stacey exclaimed.

"There's a reason why I'm the King of Games, honey." CJ said. "Since I have more than five monsters in my graveyard, I can add up to three normal monsters with an attack of 1500 or less to my hand from my graveyard, and I'll take only one… Left Arm of the Forbidden One."

"Oh no… It can't be…" Stacey said.

"It is… I summon Exodia the Forbidden One!" CJ said, as the legendary Exodia appeared behind him. "You took down Obelisk, you took down the King of Evil, but when it all came down to it honey, the Hero of Time couldn't stand up to Exodia… Exodia, obliterate!"

"The winner… And still King of Games… CJ Francis!" Roland shouted.


	22. Evil's Summoning Ritual Commence

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: **

**The Three Flames! Evil's Summoning Ritual Commence!**

Upon the tournament's conclusion, everyone had gathered at the entrance to the Hidden Village. The news crews and KaibaCorp employees, along with Kaiba and Mokuba, had left.

"That was an awesome duel, you guys." Yugi said.

"Thanks, Yugi." Stacey said.

"I'm really proud of you, Stacey." CJ said. "You've learned a lot. If I hadn't drawn Exodia, you easily could've beat me."

"You really think so?" Stacey asked.

"Of course." CJ said. "I had no way of getting past your Hero of Time. Not with 7300 attack points."

"Wow… thanks, hun." Stacey said.

"You're welcome." CJ smiled. Suddenly, lightning began to strike around the village. It was then that Kotake and Koume appeared before the group.

"That's them!" Tristan exclaimed.

"The Master Mothers!" Serenity exclaimed.

"CJ, we faced them in the Spirit Temple." Sarah said.

"They tried to duel us and take our souls." Mike added.

"So… you two are the ones that have been causing trouble?" CJ said.

"Yes… We have been stirring up Destruction and Sorrow throughout Hyrule through our Shadow Duels." Kotake smiled evilly.

"Shadow Duels?" CJ asked.

"Yes…" Koume said. "And now… Our final step… driving you into Despair!" Lightning then struck the area and the two witches vanished. CJ looked around and gasped.

"Stacey's gone!" He exclaimed. "Wait a minute… Destruction? Sorrow? Despair?"

"What's up, CJ?" Yugi asked.

"Sorrow, Destruction and Despair are the three Legendary Flames that must be lit to commence the Evil's Summoning Ritual." CJ said. "Twinrova tried this once before, attempting to sacrifice Princess Zelda to revive the King of Evil. They must be seeking to sacrifice Stacey this time!" He stood there for a moment. "No… Not again… I won't lose Stacey…"

"Where did this ritual take place?" Mike asked.

"Deep below the Gerudo Desert, in the Room of Rites." CJ said. "We need to find a way there before I lose Stacey."

"CJ…" Sarah said. "When we dueled Twinrova, they said something about sacrificing you and Stacey to revive the Evil King."

"That doesn't mean a thing!" CJ said. "They grabbed Stacey, not both of us! Their plans may have changed!" With that, he vanished in a flash of light.

_**A short time later, in Industrial Illusions…**_

CJ walked into a vault deep below the Industrial Illusions building. He entered a code into a nearby safe and a drawer opened. Inside was a deck of Duel Monsters cards. CJ took them out and looked through them. He soon came across a spell card that held a picture of a green six-pointed star surrounded by two green circles. In between the two circles was ancient Enochian text which translated to "Oreichalcos".

_I swore I would never use these again, but Twinrova must pay… _CJ thought.

"_Very well." Stewart smiled. "The rules are the same: as you lose life points, you sink deeper into the sand. Remain calm, and you'll be relatively fine. Panic, and you'll sink faster. You each have 4000 life points while I have 8000. If one of you loses, you both lose. Ready?"_

_"You bet." CJ said, smiling. He looked down at his deck and smirked. __These new Orichalcos cards should teach Stewart a lesson. They may not be infused with the power of the Orichalcos itself, but their effects and points are no different, so they're still just as devastating._

"_Next, I play the Seal of Orichalcos!" Saria gasped as the dark Seal surrounded the field._

"_What are you doing?" Saria exclaimed. "You know that card is bad!"_

_"I recreated them." CJ said. "I created a second set that aren't infused with the ancient power of the Orichalcos, so it won't possess me." Suddenly, the Seal appeared on CJ's forehead._

"_I activate my trap!" Stewart exclaimed. "Attack of Confusion! Now, this trap allows me to choose your attack target... A Man With Wdjat!" CJ's eyes then changed from blue to red and his voice became more sinister._

"_It's time, Saria! Mythic Dragon, attack with Five Headed Rage!" CJ shouted._

"_No!" Saria exclaimed._

_"Saria, get out of there! If you don't... you'll... you'll lose your soul!" Ryan called out._

"I can't escape!"

"No, Saria!" Yami exclaimed, bursting into the arena. Suddenly, the Five Headed Dragon's attack stopped and it vanished.

"_Sorry.. Stewart... But I.. love Saria... Even with your trap... And the Seal's power... I won't take her soul away... I offer my soul instead!" CJ said, as the Seal took his soul and he collapsed to the ground._

"_CJ! You're okay!" Saria exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend._

"_Can't... breathe..." CJ said, gasping for air. Saria quickly released him._

_"Sorry..." She said. "I'm just glad you're okay."_

"_It's okay. But how'd we get here?" CJ asked. "Last I remember, I surrendered my soul to the Seal... Though I don't know how... I could've swore I used the powerless cards."_

"_Maybe it's best if you don't use those cards." Saria said._

_"I suppose you're right." CJ said, as he thumbed through his deck and pulled out all the Orichalcos cards. He then slipped in regular cards._

_After that, I vowed that I would never use the Seal of Orichalcos again, but… I need to rid this kingdom of Twinrova and Ganondorf for good…_ CJ thought. _I only hope I can resist its dark power…_

_**A few minutes later…**_

CJ and the others were gathered in Hyrule Castle courtyard.

"Are we ready, everyone?" CJ asked. "The final battle begins now!" He then used his magic to create a portal in the courtyard. Everyone stepped through it and soon found themselves in a small chamber. In front of them sat an altar. On that altar were three torches: one lit with a red flame, one lit with a blue flame, and one lit with a purple flame. In the center of the three torches lay Stacey, unconscious. In front of the altar was Twinrova.

"What's that?" Tea asked.

"The Altar of Rites." CJ said. "And it looks like Twinrova have lit the Flames of Destruction, Sorrow and Despair." Twinrova then turned and looked at CJ.

"Ah… the King has come." Kotake said.

"I hope you're ready to suffer." Koume said.

"For when we're done with you, we shall offer you and the Queen as sacrifices, and the Gerudo King of Evil will rise again!" Kotake said.

"Don't count on it!" CJ said. "I'm gonna rid my kingdom of you once and for all!" His shadow magic then began to gather into his Duel Disk, and it transformed. Surrounding the base of the Duel Disk were the same Enochian letters that were on the card CJ was looking at earlier. The platform had now become one that resembled a tail and was pointed at the end. The entire thing was black in color and had a dark energy to it.

"Look!" Yugi said.

"That's the same type of Duel Disk that Dartz's goons used!" Joey exclaimed.

"You don't think that CJ is…" Tea stopped in mid-sentence as CJ exclaimed something.

"Let's duel, Twinrova!" CJ shouted, as the green circle from his card surrounded the Room of Rites. "I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!"

"Oh no!" Yugi, Tea, Tristan and Joey exclaimed.


	23. The King's Lineage

_Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh!:_

"_It's time to put your dueling skills to the test. I hope none of you entered my tournament looking for friendly competition. The Hyrule Cup's gonna be an all out war." Kaiba said._

"_This is it!" One of the robed figures exclaimed. "This duel shall end in favor of the Master Mothers!"_

"_What?" Alister asked._

"_I sacrifice my two monsters…" The robed figure said._

_"And I sacrifice my two…" The other robed figure said._

"_To summon our ultimate creatures!" Red and purple beams of light hit the ground. When the lights died down, two monsters stood in the desert. One was an orange-haired, blue-skinned woman in a purple bodysuit. The other was a man in bronze armor, carrying a ball and chain._

"_Veran, Sorceress of Shadows (ATK: 2650)!" One robed figure shouted._

"_And Onox, General of Darkness (ATK: 2800)!" The other figure exclaimed. "And since your fields are empty… Onox!"_

"_Veran!"_

"_Attack!" The two beasts rushed toward Alister and Valon, depleting their life points (LP: 0). The two former Paradius duelists gasped as darkness surrounded their bodies._

"_What is this?" Alister asked._

_"Is this… the Orichalcos?" Valon wondered._

"_No…" One of the robed figures said. "We are offering you up to the Dark Realm to feed the life force of our son!" Alister and Valon then vanished as the shadows engulfed them._

_"Only a few more, Kotake…" One robed figure said._

_"No… We need to find the King and Queen, Koume…" The other figure, Kotake, said. "They are the only way to revive Ganondorf…"_

"_We thought you might want to see these." Mike said, handing CJ the three cards he found in the desert._

_CJ looked at them. "Where did you find these?" He asked._

_"In the Mirror Chamber." Mike said. "We dueled Zant, and when we defeated him, he dropped these."_

"_Zant's back?" CJ exclaimed._

"_Yeah." Sarah said. "And after we defeated him, we were challenged by Twinrova."_

"_Please tell me that you're trying to screw with my head." CJ said._

"_We're not." Sarah said._

"_That's not good." CJ said. "Did Twinrova go by any other name when the dueled you?"_

"_No… Why?" Mike asked._

"_I've been hearing rumors of a pair of tag team duelists in the tournament who have been using very powerful cards to defeat their opponents. They call themselves the Master Mothers, and supposedly, their opponents lose their souls when they're defeated." CJ said. "Tristan and Serenity dueled them." Tristan and Serenity then walked in._

_"The only thing that saved us is Serenity's sage powers." Tristan said._

_"Twinrova did say something about using our souls to feed Ganon's spirit." Sarah said._

_"Oh no… Just as I thought… Twinrova is seeking to trigger the Evil's Summoning Ritual again." CJ said._

_"We came here to tell you something, CJ." Tristan said. "The Master Mothers used two very powerful cards to beat us… something, the Sorceress of something and something else, the General of, uh, Destruction… or something like that."_

_"You don't mean Veran, the Sorceress of Shadows and Onox, the General of Darkness, do you?" CJ asked._

"_Yeah, that was it." Serenity said._

_"Oh no… Twinrova are using the power of Onox and Veran to light the Flames of Destruction, Sorrow and Despair." CJ said. "From their actions on the dueling field, I'm sure they've already lit the flame of Sorrow."_

_"When they dueled us and used Onox and Veran, their attacks seemed real." Serenity said. "They almost caused an avalanche on Snowpeak."_

"_And when we dueled Zant, I felt pain when he attacked me." Sarah said._

"_Me too." Mike said. "Same thing when we dueled Twinrova."_

_"Then if they caused enough damage during their duels, the Flame of Destruction may already be lit as well." CJ said. "That means all that's left is the Flame of Despair." He looked at Stacey. "Do NOT, under any circumstances, leave my side unless you're dueling, Stacey."_

_"Why not?" Stacey asked._

"_Because." CJ said. "The only way Twinrova can drive Hyrule into enough despair to light the Flame of Despair is by capturing either one of us. On top of that, they need to offer one of us as a sacrifice to complete the Evil's Summoning Ritual and revive the King of Evil."_

"_What do we do?" Stacey asked, clinging to CJ with fear in her eyes._

"_There's not much we can do." CJ said. "Other than let the tournament run its course. They may not show their face until it's all over. Now, let's get some rest everyone… We could be in for a long day."_

"_Look!" Yugi said._

_"That's the same type of Duel Disk that Dartz's goons used!" Joey exclaimed._

_"You don't think that CJ is…" Tea stopped in mid-sentence as CJ exclaimed something._

"_Let's duel, Twinrova!" CJ shouted, as the green circle from his card surrounded the Room of Rites. "I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!"_

"_Oh no!" Yugi, Tea, Tristan and Joey exclaimed._

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: The King's Lineage, Part 1**

"Let's duel, Twinrova!" CJ shouted. "I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!"

"Oh no!" Yugi, Tea, Tristan and Joey exclaimed.

"What's that?" Sarah asked.

"The Seal of Orichalcos." Yugi said. "When we first encountered it, it was being used by a group of duelists from a company called the Paradius Organization. The group was run by a man by Dartz, a 10,000 year old King from the Lost City of Atlantis."

"Seriously?" Mike asked.

"Yeah." Yugi said. "Back when he ruled Atlantis, the Orichalcos rained down from the sky. With it, it brought wealth and technology, making Atlantis the most technologically advanced city in history."

"So the legends of Atlantis are true?" Sarah asked.

"Every word of it." Yugi said. "However, the Orichalcos took over the peoples' minds and unleashed their inner evil. It fooled Dartz into believing that he had been chosen to cleanse the world of the darkness. It took 10,000 years before Dartz finally realized the truth, thanks to Joey, Kaiba, and Pharaoh Atem."

"So, was the card destroyed after Dartz's defeat?" Mike asked.

"Yeah." Yugi said. "And after CJ took over Pegasus's company, he began to re-create safe copies of the Orichalcos cards, but something happened and they ended up with the full power of the Orichalcos. CJ locked them away and swore he'd never use them again after he almost took his first wife's soul."

"He didn't even take them out and use them during any of the times that his previous two wives, Kylie and Shaylene, were in danger." Tea said. "Something must be different about Stacey."

"Either that or he's sick of Ganondorf and Twinrova, and what they've done to Hyrule." Joey said.

"Let's get this show on the road, Twinrova!" CJ said. "Here's the deal: I'll have 16000 life points, while the two of you have 8000 each. I can summon two monsters per turn, and I'm allowed to draw two cards per turn."

"No." Kotake said. "You get to draw _one_ card."

"But we will allow you to summon two monsters per turn." Koume said.

"Good. Now, let's get this started!" CJ said, drawing a card. "And I send the Seal of Orichalcos to the graveyard in order to activate the Seal of Rage!" Everyone gasped as the Seal of Orichalcos changed from a green color to a crimson red. "Now all my monsters gain 1000 points instead of 500. And, this card has all the other effects of the Seal of Orichalcos, so I can control up to 10 monsters. Next, I summon Orichalcos Malevolence (ATK: 2500) and Orichalcos Kyutora (ATK: 1500)." Then, a magma monster appeared on the field. On its forehead was the Seal of Orichalcos. Behind it was a small green monster with spiky green fur. It had one eye which was covered by the Seal. "Finally, I lay one card face down and end my turn."

"I summon Kotake, Master of Ice (ATK: 1600)." Kotake said, stepping onto the field. "Then, I lay two cards face down.

"I summon Koume, Master of Fire (ATK: 1700)." Koume said, stepping onto the field. The witches brooms then appeared and the two hovered above the field. "Go."

"Orichalcos Malevolence!" CJ said. "Attack Kotake! You may not be destroyed, but you'll still lose life points for being in attack mode!"

"Activate trap: Gravity Bind! So your Malevolence won't be attacking." Kotake said.

"I end my turn." CJ said.

"I summon Poe (DEF: 1500)." Kotake said, summoning a small white ghost holding a lantern.

"And I summon Flamvell Guard (DEF: 2000)." Koume said, summoning a flaming blue dragon. "Go."

"I pass." CJ said. "Go."

"I summon Barrier Statue of the Torment (DEF: 1000)." Kotake said, summoning a blue statue of a fish.

"And I summon a second Flamvell Guard (DEF: 2000)." Koume smirked. "Your move, 'Your Majesty'." The witches laughed as CJ drew his card.

"I end my turn." CJ said. "Since your trap prevents my attacks."

"I sacrifice Barrier Statue and Poe to summon Veran, Sorceress of Shadows (ATK: 2650)." Kotake said, summoning a blue-skinned woman in a purple dress.

"And I sacrifice my two Flamvell Guards to summon Onox, General of Darkness (ATK: 2800)." Koume said, summoning a man in gold armor, carrying a ball and chain.

"And we're not done there, either…" Kotake said. "It's time to fuse! I sacrifice Kotake, Master of Ice…"

"And I sacrifice Koume, Master of Fire…" Koume said. The two witches were then swallowed by a dark beam of energy. When the energy beam vanished, only one witch remained. She had hair that spiked out into two large side ponytails: one made of fire and one made of ice. She wore desert style clothing, and carried two staffs: one of fire and one of ice.

"To summon Twinrova, Sorceress Sisters (ATK: 3000)!" Twinrova exclaimed. "We have become one, and it will spell your downfall, King!"

"Thanks to your trap, you can't attack!" CJ said. "So it's my turn. I activate the trap card, Pyramid of Light!" Then, a white pyramid covered the field.

"No way!" Yugi exclaimed. "CJ's using the Pyramid of Light too!"

"Next, I pay 500 life points (LP: 16000 – 500) to summon Sphinx Teleia (ATK: 3500)." CJ said, his voice now growing darker. A white sphinx then appeared on the field. She had two yellow wings, large fangs and long maroon hair. "Go."

"Since our Gravity Bind is still in effect, we will end our turn." Twinrova said.

"I lay one card face down." CJ said. "Go."

"We summon Poe (ATK: 1100) and Flamvell Magician (ATK: 1400)." Twinrova said, summoning a white ghost and a man carrying a flaming staff. "Go."

"I lay another card face down." CJ said. "Go."

"We sacrifice Flamvell Magician and Poe to summon a monster you'll recognize…" Twinrova said. "Sphinx Teleia (ATK: 2500)!"

"Whoa! They have the same card as him!" Tea exclaimed.

"One of the Sphinxes that Anubis used against the Pharaoh in the Kaiba Dome…" Yugi said.

"Do you think CJ has them both?" Joey asked.

"He has the Pyramid of Light, so I'd count on it…" Yugi said.

"It's my move, and I'll pass." CJ said.

"We will pass as well." Twinrova said.

"I pay another 500 life points (LP: 15500 – 500) to summon Andro Sphinx (ATK: 4000)." CJ said, summoning a sphinx with the head of a beast and blond hair resembling a lion's mane. It wore blue armor and looked ready to tear someone apart. "Go."

"We summon Tongyo (DEF: 800) and Bokoblin (DEF: 1000)." Twinrova said, summoning a small purple monster with a long tongue. Next to it was a purple goblin creature carrying a broadsword. "And then we lay a card face down. Go."

"I lay one card face down." CJ said. "Your move."

"We sacrifice Tongyo and Bokoblin to summon Andro Sphinx (ATK: 3000)!" Twinrova said.

"Impossible!" CJ said. "They're matching me Sphinx for Sphinx!"

"Your move." Twinrova said.

"I pass." CJ said. "Go."

"We summon two Bulblins (ATK: 1500 [x2])." Twinrova said, summoning two masked bandits carrying clubs. "Go."

"I pass again." CJ said. _I need to find a way to wipe out Gravity Bind. Once I do that, I can rid my kingdom of these pests once and for all._

"We summon Poe (DEF: 1500) and Root Water (DEF: 800), and then lay two cards face down." Twinrova said, summoning a white ghost and blue fish-like monster. "Go."

CJ drew a card. _Slifer the Sky Dragon… That makes two._ "I pass." CJ said.

"We lay a card face down and sacrifice Poe to summon Stalfos (ATK: 2500)." Twinrova said.

"I activate Trap Hole to destroy Stalfos!" CJ said, negating Twinrova's summoning.

"We end our turn." Twinrova said.

"I activate my trap: Dust Tornado!" CJ said. "And I destroy the Pyramid of Light, destroying my Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia and removing them from play."

"Are you that desperate that you're destroying your own monsters?" Twinrova laughed.

"By destroying Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia, I can pay 500 life points (LP: 15000 – 500) to summon Theinen the Great Sphinx (ATK: 4500)!" CJ said, as his two sphinx monsters merged into one. "You combined yourselves, I combined my Sphinxes. Now, let's see who's stronger!"


	24. The King's Lineage, Part 2

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: The King's Lineage, Part 2**

"Whoa!" Yugi gasped. "CJ _does_ have the final sphinx!"

"Now, Twinrova, I end my turn." CJ said. "But, soon, I'll destroy your Gravity Bind and the duel will be over!"

"Not quite!" Twinrova said. "We activate Bottomless Trap Hole, destroying and removing Theinen from play!"

"No!" CJ exclaimed as his sphinx vanished. "I end my turn."

"We lay one card face down and end our turn." Twinrova said.

"I play Orichalcos Mirror!" CJ said. "Which lets me play Mirror Knight Calling (ATK: 1000)." Then, a large reflective mirror appeared on CJ's field, behind his Malevolence. Next to Malevolence appeared for shiny knight, all holding reflective shields. "Which lets me summon four Mirror Knight Tokens (ATK: 1000 [x4]). Go."

"We summon Bokoblin (ATK: 1400) and activate Dust Tornado to destroy Gravity Bind." Twinrova said. "Bokoblin, Bulblins, and Teleia, attack those Mirror Knights!"

"Sorry, but my Mirror Knights have an equal attack to whatever monster they're battling." CJ said, as Twinrova's four monsters vanished, as did the four shields CJ's knights were holding. "But thanks to Mirror Knight Calling, my knights' shields return.

"Fine… Andro Sphinx, attack Orichalcos Malevolence!" Twinrova said.

"My Malevolence may be destroyed," CJ said. "But Kyutora absorbs the damage I would take (Damage: 500)."

"We end our turn with a face down card." Twinrova said.

"Mirror Knights, attack Onox, Veran, Andro Sphinx and Twinrova!" CJ exclaimed.

"Reveal trap: Gravity Bind!" Twinrova exclaimed.

"Not again…" CJ said. "I end my turn by summoning Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (ATK: 2800)." Then, a man in a purple robe and mask appeared on the field.

"We lay a card face down." Twinrova said. "Go."

"I pass." CJ said.

"We activate Ritual Sealing to destroy Mirror Knight Calling!" Twinrova said. "Next, we summon Maryokutai (ATK: 900) and Flamvell Magician (ATK: 1400) and switch Root Water to attack mode (ATK: 900)." Then, a skull monster and mage carrying a flaming staff appeared on the field. "Go."

"I pass." CJ said. "Go."

"We summon Abaki (ATK: 1700) and play Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying Gravity Bind!" Twinrova said, summoning a red fiend. "Abaki, Maryokutai, Flamvell Magician and Root Water, attack those Mirror Knights!" CJ watched as Twinrova's monsters were destroyed, along with his knights' shields. "And, since your Mirror Knight calling is gone, your knights don't regenerate their shields. Veran, Andro Sphinx, Onox! Attack three of those knights! And we'll eliminate the fourth!"

"But my Kyutora absorbs all the damage I would take (Damage: 7950)." CJ said.

"We end our turn." Twinrova said.

"I play Magical Mallet to add one card back to my deck, shuffle my deck and draw a new card." CJ said. "And next, I summon Orichalcos Gigas (ATK: 1400)." Then, a brown human-like beast appeared on the field. "Go."

"Andro Sphinx, attack Gigas! And we'll attack Kycoo!" Twinrova said.

"First, Kyutora absorbs the damage (Damage: 9750)." CJ said. "Next, Gigas is re-summoned to the field, provided I skip my next draw phase. And it gains a power boost (ATK: 1900)."

"Onox! Do the honors!" Twinrova said, as Onox attacked Gigas.

"Gigas may be destroyed, but Kyutora absorbs the damage again (Damage: 10650)." CJ said.

"Veran, attack Kyutora!" Twinrova exclaimed.

"Before Kyutora is destroyed, it absorbs my battle damage (Damage: 11750)." CJ said. "Next, since Kyutora was destroyed, I can summon Orichalcos Shunoros (ATK: 12750)!" Then, a large machine like monster appeared on the field. Its arms then detached and floated next to it. "And, Shunoros lets me summon Orichalcos Dexia (ATK: ?) and Orichalcos Aristeros (ATK: ?)."

"We end our turn." Twinrova said.

"I sacrifice Shunoros, Dexia and Aristeros…" CJ said.

"Is he summoning a god card?" Joey wondered.

"It must be Ra…" Yugi said.

"Great Beast of the Sky, Please Hear my cry…

Transform thyself from orb or light

And bring my victory in the fight…

Unlock your power from deep within,

So that together we may win…

Envelop the desert with your glow,

And cast your rage upon my bow…

Appear in this Shadow Game as I call your name…

Winged Dragon of Ra (ATK: 13750)!" CJ exclaimed, as the legendary Egyptian god appeared on the field. "Go."

"Whoa… CJ has a monster with 13750 attack points on the field…" Yugi said. "This is crazy."

"We pass by switching all our monsters to defense mode (DEF: 2300) (DEF: 2500) (DEF: 2500) (DEF: 2600)." Twinrova said.

"I summon Psychic Armor Head (ATK: 1000) and end my turn." CJ said, as a mechanical helmet appeared on his head.

"We summon a defense monster and end our turn." Twinrova said.

"I summon Burning Knuckle (ATK: 1000) and end my turn." CJ said, as a mechanical gauntlet appeared on his right arm.

"We pass." Twinrova said.

"I summon Jet Gauntlet (ATK: 1000)." CJ said, as armor covered his left arm. "Go."

"We pass." Twinrova said.

"I play Book of Moon to switch you into face down defense mode." CJ said, as Twinrova stepped back and a defense card appeared on their field. "Go."

"We pass." Twinrova said.

"I lay a card face down." CJ said. "Go."

"We pass again." Twinrova said.

"Why isn't CJ destroying their defense cards?" Tea asked.

"He must have something planned." Yugi said. "I just… don't know what."

"I sacrifice my three armor cards to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon (ATK: 4000)!" CJ said, as the red dragon Egyptian god appeared on his field.

"It's the second Egyptian god card!" Joey exclaimed.

_What is CJ up to?_ Yugi wondered.

"Go." CJ said.

"We play Ookazi and end our turn." Twinrova said, as fire rained down and struck CJ (LP: 14500 – 800).

"Since I drew another card, my Slifer gains more points (ATK: 5000)." CJ said. "Go."

"We pass." Twinrova said.

"More points for Slifer (ATK: 6000)." CJ said. "Go."

"We pass again." Twinrova said.

"And again (ATK: 7000)." CJ said.

"We pass." Twinrova said. "As long as we're on the field, you can't win."

"I beg to differ." CJ said, as Slifer grew stronger (ATK: 8000). "I sacrifice Ra and Slifer from my field, and Obelisk from my hand so I can summon The Great Leviathan (ATK: 25750)!" Yugi and Joey gasped as a large dragon-like serpent appeared on the field.

"No way!" Joey gasped.

"It's the Leviathan!" Yugi exclaimed. Suddenly, CJ's eyes turned red and the Seal began to glow.

"I activate Book of Taiyou, switching you to attack mode (ATK: 3000)!" CJ said. "You may survive this attack, but your life points sure as Hell won't, Twinrova!"

"What? Oh no!" Twinrova exclaimed.

"Great Leviathan, attack Twinrova, Sorceress Sisters and end this duel!" Everyone watched as the Leviathan attacked, clearing the field and ending the duel.

"You may have won this duel, CJ, but we've come too far!" Twinrova shouted. "We've successfully lit the Flames of Destruction, Sorrow and Despair! We may not be able to offer you and the Queen, but by sacrificing our own body, Ganon will rise again!" Suddenly, the Flames of Destruction, Sorrow and Despair went out.

"What's going on, CJ?" Yugi asked. Suddenly, CJ's deck began to glow red, before a crimson energy flew out of it and out of the Room of Rites. Twinrova then began to glow crimson before vanishing.

"Twinrova sacrificed herself to revive the Evil King!" CJ exclaimed. He then looked over to the altar. "Stacey!" He ran to his wife's side as she awakened. "Honey, are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Stacey said. Suddenly, CJ fells to his knees in pain. "Are you?"

"Oh no… I was… afraid this would… happen… Stacey, get back… the Orichalcos is possessing me…" CJ said.

"What do I do?" Stacey asked as she ran back to the rest of the group.

"The only thing you can do." Yugi said. "You have to duel him and set him free."

"If… If I have to…" Stacey said, activating her Duel Disk and slotting her deck.


	25. The King's Lineage, Part 3

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: The King's Lineage, Part 3**

"Let's duel, CJ!" Stacey said.

"I'll begin!" CJ said. "And I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!" Everyone gasped as the Seal appeared around the Room of Rites, trapping CJ and Stacey within its dark boundaries. "Next, I summon Psychic Armor Head (ATK: 500) and pay 500 life points (LP: 4000 – 500) to summon Orichalcos Kyutora (ATK: 1000)." Then, a metallic armor helmet appeared on CJ's head and his Kyutora appeared on the field behind him. "Go."

"I summon Warrior of Atlantis and activate Swords of Revealing Light!" Stacey said, summoning a blue aquatic humanoid warrior (ATK: 1900). "Warrior, attack Psychic Armor Head!" CJ stood there as Stacey's warrior threw a trident at him, striking his helmet and destroying it.

"Good thing my Kyutora absorbs the damage (Damage: 1400)." CJ said. "And it's my turn. I play Impact Revive to bring back Psychic Armor Head (ATK: 1000). Next, I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (ATK: 2300)." Then, a man in a purple robe and mask appeared on the field. "Go."

"I summon Cure Mermaid (ATK: 1500)." Stacey said. "Warrior of Atlantis! Attack Psychic Armor Head!"

"Kyutora, absorb the damage (Damage: 2300)." CJ said. "My move! I summon Orichalcos Malevolence (ATK: 2000)." Then, a molten dragon-like lava monster appeared on CJ's field. "Go."

"First, my Cure Mermaid boosts my life points (LP: 8800)." Stacey said. "Next, I sacrifice my two monsters to summon Ancient Sage of Water (ATK: 2600)!" Then, a ghostly man in a white robe appeared on the field. "Ancient Sage, attack Malevolence!" CJ watched as his monster was destroyed.

"But Kyutora absorbs the damage (Damage: 3200)." CJ said.

"I end my turn." Stacey said.

"I summon Burning Knuckle (ATK: 500) and lay a card face down." CJ said, as a mechanical gauntlet appeared on his right arm. "Go."

"I summon Mother Grizzly (ATK: 1400) and attack Burning Knuckle!" Stacey said, summoning a blue grizzly bear.

"Activate Book of Moon, switching your Grizzly into face down defense mode!" CJ said.

"Fine!" Stacey said. "Ancient Sage, attack Kycoo!" CJ stood there as his monster was destroyed and Kyutora absorbed the damage (Damage: 3500).

"My move!" CJ said, snapping the top card off of his deck. "I summon Jet Gauntlet (ATK: 500)." Then, a mechanical gauntlet appeared on his left arm. "Go."

"I equip my Ancient Sage with Water Medallion (ATK: 3200)." Stacey said. "And I flip up my Mother Grizzly (ATK: 1400). Now, I play Fissure, destroying Burning Knuckle. Mother Grizzly, attack Jet Gauntlet!"

"Kyutora, absorb the damage (Damage: 4400)!" CJ said.

"Ancient Sage, attack Orichalcos Kyutora!" Stacey said.

"Before it's destroyed, Kyutora absorbs the damage (Damage: 6600)!" CJ said. "And, by destroying Kyutora, you've allowed me to summon Orichalcos Shunoros (ATK: 7100)!" Stacey gasped as the machine-like Shunoros appeared on the field and its arms detached and floated next to it.

"What are those things?" Stacey asked.

"Orichalcos Dexia (ATK: ?) and Orichalcos Aristeros (DEF: ?)." CJ said. "Dexia's attack is always 300 points higher than whatever monster its battling. And Aristeros's defense is always 300 points higher than the attack of whatever monster attacks it."

"Uh oh…" Stacey said.

"That's not good…" Yugi said. "CJ's got Orichalcos Shunoros on his field."

"I end my turn with a face down card." Stacey said.

"Orichalcos Shunoros, attack the Ancient Sage of Water!" CJ said.

"Reveal trap: Sakuretsu Armor!" Stacey said. "Now, your Shunoros is destroyed!"

"Thank you… By destroying my Shunoros, you've allowed me to summon my ultimate creature… Divine Serpent (ATK: Infinite)!" CJ said, as a large serpent emerged from a black hole behind him (LP: 0)

"Wait a sec! You have no life points!" Stacey said. "That means you lose!"

"Not quite." CJ said. "As long as my Divine Serpent is on the field, I'm still in the duel."

"That's not good…" Stacey said. _How can I defeat a monster with infinite attack points? It may be over… I may be gonna lose._

"I end my turn." CJ said.

"I summon Aqua Madoor (DEF: 2000) and switch my other monsters to defense (DEF: 1500) (DEF: 1000)." Stacey said. "Go."

"I activate Orichalcos Sword of Sealing!" CJ said. "I discard a card and negate the effects of your Sage of Water!"

"Oh no!" Stacey gasped.

"Now, I discard ten cards so my Divine Serpent can attack!" CJ said. "Destroy the Ancient Sage!"

"Not my Sage!" Stacey said, as her monster was destroyed.

"I end my turn." CJ said.

"I summon Mermaid Knight (DEF: 700)." Stacey said, summoning an armored mermaid. _As long as I have three defense monsters on my field, I can win this. _"Your move."

"I pass." CJ said.

"As do I." Stacey said.

"I lay a card face down." CJ said. "Go."

"Mad Lobster, defense (DEF: 1000)." Stacey said. "Go."

"I lay another card face down." CJ said. "Go."

"I pass." Stacey said. "Your move."

"I pass this turn." CJ said. "Go."

Stacey drew a card. _Fissure! That'll destroy his Divine Serpent… And the Mystical Space Typhoon in my hand will stop anything he has to negate my Fissure._

"Make your move, Stacey… Or surrender your soul to the Seal of Orichalcos." CJ said.

_Oh no! That's right! If I destroy his Serpent, he'll lose the duel and his soul will be taken by the Seal of Orichalcos!_ Stacey realized. _I can't destroy his serpent! I can't lose him!_

Suddenly, CJ's voice echoed in Stacey's mind.

"_Stacey… Don't hesitate… When the time comes, just act!"_ CJ's voice echoed.

_I… I need to make a move… But… How can I win?_


	26. The King's Lineage, Part 4

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: The King's Lineage, Part 4**

_If I play Fissure and destroy CJ's Divine Serpent, he'll lose the duel and his soul._ Stacey thought. _But if I don't destroy his Serpent, I'm sure he'll find a way to defeat me and win the duel… Wait a minute! I know how to end this!_

"Why would CJ turn on Stacey like that?" Yugi wondered.

"I still can't believe he would use the Orichalcos…" Tea said. "I thought he would've learned his lesson from when he nearly took Saria's soul…"

A new voice then echoed throughout the Room of Rites.

"CJ has always struggled with the darkness within…" Everyone turned and saw a golden woman surrounded by a red aura descending from above.

"Din, the goddess of Power…" Tea said, as everyone bowed before the sacred goddess.

"Rise…" Din said. "To understand CJ's struggle with the darkness, you must understand his heritage… First, as Sage of Shadow, CJ was born in darkness. He is a Sheikah, and for generations, legends have spoken of the Sheikah as the 'Shadow Folk'…"

"So… He struggles with darkness because he's born into a race that has spent generations controlling the shadows?" Yugi asked. "That doesn't make sense."

"Because there's more to the story." Din said. "CJ's father was a Sheikah. However, his mother was a Gerudo… The same race that Twinrova and the King of Evil were born from. A race of thieves who, for years, had never sworn true fealty to the King of Hyrule… In fact, CJ is descended from the very same bloodline that gave birth to Twinrova and the King of Evil… that is why he holds the Triforce of Power…"

"Whoa… CJ's a direct descendant of Ganondorf?" Tea asked.

"Yes…" Din said. "But the Gerudo and the Sheikah aren't the only dark tribes of Hyrule he is descended from…"

"You mean there's more?" Joey asked.

"Yes." Din said. "CJ is also descended from the Garo tribe of Termina, and even the Dark Twili of the Twilight Realm, also known in some legends as the Dark Tribe… You see, both are tribes born of the mixing of the bloods of the Sheikah and the Gerudo…"

"Wait… the Twili? Isn't that the race that Midna, the Twilight Princess, was from?" Tristan asked.

"Yes…" Din said. "And the most well-known members of the Dark Tribe are Agahnim and Veran. In fact, both are also ancestors of CJ, born from the blood of the King of Evil as well."

"Oh wow… I can't believe all that…" Serenity said.

"But, wait… What are the Garo?" Yugi asked. "I'm not familiar with them…"

"The Garo are a tribe of Ninja thieves who once invaded Termina back when it was known as Ikana. They struck at the core of Ikana, in Ikana Canyon, and fought Igos Du Ikana's army. Neither army was victorious and the kingdom fell. The Garo were simply a group of Gerudo-Sheikah crossbreed people who sought to conquer Ikana and make it a territory of Hyrule." Din said.

"Whoa…" Yugi said.

"And there's one last thing: another connection to Termina." Din said. "Long before the Garo attacked the kingdom, members of the Dark Tribe fled to Ikana to make a life there. They had forsaken myself and the other goddesses Nayru and Farore. They built a blasphemous tower meant to worship the Four Giants who built Ikana." Suddenly, the gang vanished and soon found themselves floating above a large temple nestled deep within an ancient canyon.

"What is that?" Tea asked.

"Behold… the blasphemous Stone Tower Temple." Din said. Everyone looked at the temple below them. It was shaped like the head of a person. Next to it was a stone structure resembling a finger pointing to the heavens. Surrounded the temple were four tall phallic-shaped pillars. The front of the temple had two holes in it where torches were held, resembling eyes. Below them was an "O"-shaped opening, which was the door to the temple.

"What's the deal with that temple?" Yugi asked. "It looks like the face of someone who was just… I… I don't want to say it…"

"Raped." Din said. "The people of Ikana built this temple, and created the Giant's Mask housed within, in hopes of entering the Sacred Realm and slaying us goddesses in a feeble attempt to prove that their Giants were better than us goddesses of the Triforce. So, to punish them for their blasphemy, we turned the world upside down… When they completed the temple, it send them to Hell instead of the heavens, where they found the dark and sinister demon, Majora. The beast escaped into Ikana, and from that day, it was known as Termina, because the land was doomed to be terminated." With that, everyone returned to the Room of Rites.

"I… I can't believe it…" Tea said.

"Yes… CJ is not only descended from the Sheikah, the Gerudo, the Dark Tribe, the Twili and the Garo, but he is also a direct descendant of Ganondorf, Twinrova, Agahnim, Zant, Midna, and Veran."

"But, wait… you never explained how he's descended from Zant or Midna…" Yugi said.

"Every year, the portal to the Twilight Realm opens for one day… Zamarai, or Death's Day… known as many other things in many places. In the United States, it is known as Halloween." Din said. "On that day, hundreds of years ago, Midna came to Hyrule. For you see, she sought to bring a child into Hyrule. Someone who could carry on her bloodline and restore her people to the world of light. She came to Hyrule, where she was able to convince a Sheikah man into allowing her to bear his child. She swore that when she gave birth to the child, she would return and the child would be left with the man."

"So, Midna came to Hyrule and convinced someone to get her pregnant?" Joey asked harshly.

"Joey!" Tea exclaimed, smacking Joey in the head.

"Basically, Joseph… Yes." Din said. "When Midna returned the following year, she could not find the man. She was told that the man was killed by a band of Gerudo thieves. The child was left with the man's wife."

"Wait… Midna got knocked up by a married man?" Joey gasped. Tea smacked him again.

"He got married after Midna left to the Twilight Realm, bearing his child." Din said. "As for how CJ is descended from Zant… That's simple… Zant and Midna were brother and sister. That is why Zant went on his quest to cover Hyrule in twilight… He felt that his sister had stolen his rights to the throne."

"Whoa…" Yugi said. "That's crazy."

"I… I had no idea that CJ was descended from so much darkness…" Stacey said.

"Are you gonna make a move or what?" CJ asked.

"No… I'm not gonna make a move…" Stacey said, placing her hand over her life point counter.

"Stacey, no!" Tea exclaimed.

"Don't do it! You'll lose your soul!" Yugi shouted.

"I surrender, CJ." Stacey said. "You win. You're free… I'm letting the Seal take my soul instead of yours…" The Seal then began to surround Stacey. CJ's eyes returned to their normal blue color, and the Seal on his forehead vanished.

"Stacey! No!" CJ exclaimed, his voice now normal. "I'm not losing you!" He then pulled a small green stone out of his pocket. "Using this fragment of the Orichalcos stone, I unlock the Seal!" The Seal of Orichalcos shattered and Stacey fell into CJ's arms, exhausted from the duel.

Yugi walked over to CJ.

"I don't get it, CJ… How did you get ahold of the Seal in the first place?"

"It all started when I was a little kid…" CJ said. "When I went through something that no kid should ever have to go through…"

"_Ha ha ha! So this is what it's come to! The King and Queen of Gerudo fighting for themselves! I knew if I slaughtered your army, you would step out and face me!" Ganondorf stood in Gerudo Palace, facing a dark brown-haired, brown-eyed man and a brown-haired, blue-eyed woman._

"_Be gone from our kingdom, and never return!" The man shouted._

_"Hand over the Triforce of Power, and I will be!" Ganondorf exclaimed._

_"Never!" The man shouted, as he and Ganondorf began to trade blows. Within minutes, the man was thrown to the ground by Ganondorf who charged toward the woman, sword drawn. The man watched in horror as Ganondorf drove his sword through her neck, killing her instantly._

"_How dare you!" The man shouted, charging Ganondorf._

_"Let's end this." Ganondorf smiled as he pierced the man's chest with his sword. The man fell lifeless to the ground and the Triforce of Power vanished from his hand._

"_Mommy! Daddy!" A little boy about the age of 4, with brown hair and blue eyes ran into the room._

_"The heir!" Ganondorf exclaimed. He ran toward the boy and gasped as a red barrier surrounded him._

"_No! You will not harm him!" Din's voice echoed. The boy then vanished._

"Din saved me on that day, and I was swept away to safety." CJ said. "My grandmother on my dad's side lived on Earth. She had no Hylian blood in her, and that's why I have a normal human appearance. I was taken to her house, where I lived fairly safely for 12 years."

"Why do you say fairly safely?" Yugi asked.

"When I was ten, I discovered my Sage powers." CJ said. "I was getting picked on by a bully at school. While trying to fight back, I learned of my powers… and the Triforce. I vowed at that moment that I would use my Triforce and my Sage powers to get my revenge on Ganondorf for what he did to my parents."

_CJ stood in a small forest clearing, his hands glowing purple. He shot an energy blast at a nearby stone structure he had assembled, blowing it apart._

"_Perfect… I'll use this power to take down Ganondorf and make him pay for what he did to my family." CJ said._

"I can help you get what you want, my child…" CJ looked and saw a man with green hair that was spiked in the front and tied into a long ponytail.

"_Huh?" The man smiled as a green stone appeared in front of CJ._

_"Grasp the stone, and I shall give you the power you need…" The man said. CJ took the stone in his hand and it soon became a Duel Monsters card bearing a picture of the Seal of Orichalcos._

"_What is this?" CJ asked._

_"The power you need…"_

"I used the power of the Orichalcos to take down bullies and get my revenge for the next two years." CJ said. "Until one day, when I just stopped using it…"

_CJ walked through the park in the center of town._

"_That jerk who broke my arm has to be around here somewhere…" He said to himself._

"I was walking through the park, looking to get my revenge on this kid who had broken my arm when I was in third grade… Not by accident, either. He did it on purpose." CJ said.

_CJ walked out of the park, having been unable to find the bully. He walked down the street when he heard a girl scream._

"_Shut up!" A boy yelled. CJ followed the sound and found the bully he was looking for behind a nearby house. The boy's pants were unzipped and there was a blond-haired, blue-eyed girl about the age of 8 on the ground, leaning against the house. Her pants were around her ankles, and her underwear was torn._

_"Please… please don't hurt me…" The girl begged, in between sobs._

_"Shut up, ya stupid brat!" The boy shouted, punching the girl._

"_Hey!" CJ shouted, grabbing the bully's attention._

_"I thought I taught you a lesson when I broke your fuckin' arm!" The bully, who was about 14 or 15, said._

"_You're not gonna hurt anyone ever again!" CJ shouted, as he pulled out the Seal of Orichalcos. The Seal then surrounded the bully and a beam of green light shot into the sky. The bully collapsed to the ground and CJ ran off._

"After that day… Until after I came to Hyrule, I never used the Seal of Orichalcos." CJ said. "For some reason, something always held me back from playing it…"

"No… That's… That's not possible…" Stacey said with fear and shock in her eyes. "When I was a little girl, I was almost raped by a bully near the park by my house…"

"_Please… please don't hurt me…" Stacey begged. The bully laughed at her._

"_Shut up, ya little brat!" He shouted, before punching her in the face. He then smiled as he began to remove his boxers._

"_Hey!" Stacey wearily looked over as an older boy walked into the area and caught the bully's attention._

"_I thought I taught you a lesson when I broke your fuckin' arm!" The bully shouted._

"_You're not gonna hurt anyone ever again!" The boy shouted, as he pulled a playing card out of his pocket. A strange green light then surrounded the bully and a beam of green light shot into the sky. The bully collapsed to the ground and the older boy ran off._

"I managed to get away before anyone else came along." Stacey said. "I never told anyone what happened. A few days later, I saw an article in the newspaper. Someone found the bully and he was in the hospital, said to be in a mysterious coma. I… I realize now that it was CJ who saved me…"

"…That's why I couldn't bring myself to play the Seal of Orichalcos after that day…" CJ said.

"The memory of a scared little girl must have held you back from using such a dark force." Yugi said.

"No…" CJ said. "The memory of meeting my soul mate, though I didn't know it at the time, was what held me back."

With that, a portal opened and everyone was teleported back to Hyrule Castle.


	27. Epilogue: The New Sage of Time

**EPILOGUE: The New Sage of Time**

Everyone was gathered outside Hyrule Castle, having been teleported out of the Room of Rites after the duel between Stacey and CJ. CJ looked at his wife with sadness in his eyes.

"Stacey… I'm so sorry…" CJ said.

"CJ… Please don't apologize." Stacey said. "I'm just glad you're safe."

"I should've never put the Seal of Orichalcos in my deck, no matter how much I wanted to take down Twinrova…" CJ said.

"CJ… We can all understand why you did it…" Yugi said. "Twinrova sought to revive Ganon, who's plagued this kingdom for over a millennium."

"That's still no excuse." CJ said. "And don't you remember what Twinrova said when I defeated them in a duel?"

"_I activate Book of Taiyou, switching you to attack mode (ATK: 3000)!" CJ said. "You may survive this attack, but your life points sure as Hell won't, Twinrova!"_

_"What? Oh no!" Twinrova exclaimed._

_"Great Leviathan, attack Twinrova, Sorceress Sisters and end this duel!" Everyone watched as the Leviathan attacked, clearing the field and ending the duel._

_"You may have won this duel, CJ, but we've come too far!" Twinrova shouted. "We've successfully lit the Flames of Destruction, Sorrow and Despair! We may not be able to offer you and the Queen, but by sacrificing our own body, Ganon will rise again!" Suddenly, the Flames of Destruction, Sorrow and Despair went out._

"_What's going on, CJ?" Yugi asked. Suddenly, CJ's deck began to glow red, before a crimson energy flew out of it and out of the Room of Rites. Twinrova then began to glow crimson before vanishing._

_"Twinrova sacrificed herself to revive the Evil King!" CJ exclaimed.  
_

"Twinrova offered their body to revive Ganon, which means he may still have been revived." CJ said. "My use of the Seal may have been in vain. And I nearly took Stacey's soul with it!" Stacey wrapped her arm around her husband.

"But you didn't, CJ…" Stacey said. "Please don't be upset… You didn't hurt me…"

"But I could've!" CJ exclaimed.

"You're constantly struggling with that Seal of Orichalcos, aren't you, CJ?" A new voice said. Everyone turned and saw a blond-haired, blue-eyed Hylian girl about the age of 18. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, and she wore a black t-shirt, jeans and glasses. On her arm was Duel Disk. Sarah and Stacey gasped.

"Wait a sec…" Sarah said.

"Layla?" Stacey asked.

"Who would've thought that your destinies were ties to Hyrule?" Layla chuckled.

"But… what brings you here, Layla?" Sarah asked.

"When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm shall call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the sacred temples…" Layla said.

"The Sheikah legend of the Sages." CJ said. "Are you telling me that you're a Sage, Layla?"

"Yup." Layla said. "My cousin was Saria Floyd."

"If you're really the Sage of Time, prove it in a duel with me, Layla."

"Fine… Let's do this!" Layla said.

"I'll begin this duel!" CJ exclaimed. "I summon Skilled Dark Magician (ATK: 1900) and equip it with Mist Body!" Then, a mage in a blue and gold robe appeared on the field. "Thanks to this equip spell, my magician can't be destroyed in battle. Go."

"I place a card face down and summon Harpie Girl (DEF: 500)." Layla said, summoning a blond-haired, pink-winged bird-like girl in a black bodysuit. "Go."

_That's not a surprise. Layla did always say that Mai Valentine was her dueling idol…_ CJ thought. "Skilled Dark Magician, attack!"

"Reveal trap: Windstorm of Etaqua!" Layla said. "Now, your magician is forced into defense mode (DEF: 1700)."

"I end my turn." CJ said.

"I lay another card face down and end my turn." Layla said.

"I switch my magician back to attack mode (ATK: 1900)." CJ said. "Magician, attack!" Layla watched as her monster was blown apart. "Go."

"I summon Harpie Queen (ATK: 1900) and activate Giant Trunade!" Layla said, summoning a blue haired winged woman in a blue bodysuit. "Now, my Queen, take out Skilled Dark Magician!" CJ watched as Layla's monster attacked and both monsters were destroyed. "Go." _I can only hope he doesn't have any monsters to summon…_

"I lay a card face down and summon a monster in defense mode." CJ said.

"I summon Harpie Lady 2 (ATK: 1300)." Layla said, summoning an orange-haired, winged woman in a purple bodysuit. "Attack!" CJ smiled as a chained leg was destroyed.

_Another Harpie… Layla's definitely got some skills, but there's only one way she can prove her heritage as a member of Saria's family…_ CJ thought. _Let's see if she can pull it off…_

_Did he just throw out a piece of Exodia?_ Layla wondered. _I thought CJ was a good duelist… That seemed stupid…_

"Your move, CJ." Layla said.

"I'll stop your attacks for three turns with Swords of Revealing Light!" CJ said. Then, glowing swords pierced Layla's field. "Go."

"I activate Elegant Egotist!" Layla said. "Now, I can summon Harpie Lady Sisters (ATK: 1950)!" Then, three more winged women appeared on the field: one with blue hair, one with red hair, and another with orange hair, all in golden armor. "Go."

"I summon a defense monster." CJ said. "Go."

"I play Graceful Charity!" Layla said. "I draw three cards and toss two… Next, I summon another Harpie Lady (ATK: 1300)!" Then, a red-haired, winged woman in a blue bodysuit appeared on the field.

"Three Harpie Lady monsters…" CJ said. "Not bad."

"I'm not done." Layla said. "I pay 2000 life points (LP: 4000 – 2000) to activate Final Countdown!" CJ gasped as a ring of 20 flames appeared in the sky above the duel. "Finally, I sacrifice my three Harpie monsters to summon Time Magician (ATK: 3600)!" CJ watched as a monster that looked similar to Layla appeared on the field, carrying a staff that glowed with a rainbow light.

"That's enough…" CJ said. "Everyone come with me." CJ then led everyone into the castle's library, where he took down a book that was titled "History of the Time Sage". He took it out and began to scan through it.

"What are you looking for, CJ?" Stacey asked. CJ then pointed to the last page.

"This…" CJ said. "The last Sage of Time, before my first wife Saria, was her mother, Rebecca Floyd. Becky had two siblings… An adopted sister, Chelsea's mother, and a blood-related brother, Allan."

"Okay… What's that mean?" Stacey asked.

"That Chelsea's not the true Sage of Time." CJ said. "Layla is… That card she played, Time Magician, is a card that only members of the Floyd family have."

"So, you believe me?" Layla asked. Suddenly, she began to glow with a golden light and the Triforce of Wisdom appeared on her hand.

"I don't have to." CJ said. "The Triforce is proof enough." He then chuckled. "Last I saw you, before I came to Hyrule, you were a young duelist who was obsessed with Mai Valentine… And judging by your deck, not much has changed."

"Hey, she's a powerful duelist who's made it to the finals of several tournaments." Layla said. "Of course, my deck is nothing compared to hers."

"But it's still powerful." CJ said. "And, it's nice to see you again, Layla."

"You too, CJ." Layla said. "And I'm sorry about Saria."

"Thanks." CJ said.

_**Sometime later…**_

CJ, Stacey, Layla and the rest of the gang stood in Castle Town Airport with Chelsea.

"It was nice having you around for a while." Stacey said.

"Thanks." Chelsea said. "Promise me you'll come back to the States and visit me once in a while."

"Of course." Stacey said. Chelsea then walked through her gate and boarded her plane, bound for the U.S. CJ looked around at his friends.

"All the True Sages have finally been found… Joey, the Sage of Earth… Mai, the Sage of Wind… Tea, the Sage of Light… Serenity, the Sage of Ice… Janelle, the Sage of Fire… Mike, the Sage of the Forest… Sarah, the Sage of Spirit… Layla, the Sage of Time… Stacey, the Sage of Water… and myself, the Sage of Shadow…" CJ said. _The only thing I'm worried about is the King of Evil… Could Twinrova's sacrifice have really revived him?_


End file.
